All people celebrate New Year with happiness and joy by exchanging gifts and greeting with their friends, but some strange superstitions are followed by many people around the world. Here is a list of such strange superstitions followed by people on New Year day.
New Clothes:
Many people believe that if they wear new clothes on New Year day they will receive more new garments during the year. People wear red color clothes as they believe red is symbolic to happiness and bright future.
Newborn Babies are Lucky:
Babies born on 1st January is considered to be the luckiest persons throughout their lives.
Crying Should be Avoided:
Many people believe that crying and wailing on New Year day is a bad thing.
Keeping the Doors Open:
All the doors of the house should be kept open at mid night to let the old year escape unhindered.
Kiss at Midnight:
It is believed that kissing at midnight increases the affections and attachments that will continue throughout the year.
Dance in Open Air:
It is believed that dancing in open air, around a tree on New Year day brings luck in love and prosperity throughout the year.
Drain the Bottle:
People believe that draining the last remnants from a bottle of drink on New Year day brings good fortune.
Avoid Washing Dishes and Laundry:
Many people believe that washing dishes and doing laundry on New Year day will lead to a death in the family. And most of them even do not wash their hair thinking it unlucky.
Avoid Profanity:
Many people do not use foul language on New Year day and behave nicely.
Do Not Let the Precious Things Leave the House:
It is believed that if any precious things like money, jewelry etc leave the home on this day, luck will go out of home. In some countries people do not let the garbage out or even not dust their carpets on this day.
Erase All Debts:
People pay all their debts before the New Year day.
Make Noise:
People believe that loud noise scares devil; so New Year is celebrated with as much noise as possible. In many countries church bells rung at mid night for this reason.
Load Wallets and Cupboards:
People believe that the overloaded cup boards and wallets with full of money bring luck and prosperity throughout the year.
Give Gifts:
It is believed that one should not leave the home before someone comes in first. The first person who comes in should bring gifts.
The Wind's Direction:
It is believed that the direction of wind during the sunrise on New Year day decides the luck for the coming year. Wind from east predicts natural calamities and wind from west predicts wealth but death of a person of great national importance. Wind from south predicts prosperity and wind from north predicts bad weather. No wind means prosperity and joy throughout the year.
Very interesting. You beat me to it with this one!!! I was thinking about New Year superstitions. LOL
Great minds think alike as the saying goes.
You probably made a better job of it than I would have done anyway.
#2 by jennie, Dec 30, 2007
I know in my family we do a thing where we buy a few bunches of grapes and at the strike of midnight we all try to eat as many grapes as we can. Apparently, grapes are symbolic for abundance... so the more grapes you eat the more you will have in the new year. This is a Spanish/Mexican tradition.
The other superstitions are interesting, but I'm sure many of them are also cultural such as the RED one.
#3 by Judy Sheldon-Walker, Dec 30, 2007
I have heard many others, such as spend the eve with your loved ones so that you will see them all year, or whatever you are doing on the eve you will be doing all year. Some have traditions about eating certain foods to bring them health and fortune, such as black eyed peas and greens. Personally, I like to pray my new year in, dedicating the next year to God and asking His blessings. I write all of my prayer requests on a peice of paper and place them in an ash tray. At midnight I am praying, and releasing my problems.
Thank you for sharing the superstitions of others with us. It was very interesting.
#4 by Judy Sheldon-Walker, Dec 30, 2007
Sorry, I forgot to say that I burn the paper in the ash tray.
#5 by valli, Dec 30, 2007
@Louie
LOL, how often this happens... anyways, thanx for the comment.
@ Jennie and Judy
Thanx for the new info u have given.
#6 by IcyCucky, Dec 31, 2007
For the past 7 years, I was doing what Judy have mentioned, spend the eve with my children, unfortunately, not this year though.
I think I will try number 6 on your list.
#7 by emogal, Jan 27, 2008
number 3 is DUMB!!! babies cry all the time, so if they do, youre saying its a bad thing. all of it is a load of crap...
Great minds think alike as the saying goes.
You probably made a better job of it than I would have done anyway.