10 New Year’s Traditions Around The World

We countdown, pop champagne and kiss someone at the stroke of midnight, some of us even sing Auld Lang Syne.  But how are others around the world ringing in the New Year?

  1. Spain – It is customary to eat 12 grapes at the 12 strokes of midnight, one for good luck for each month of the coming year.
  2. Philippines – Round shapes, like coins, signify prosperity, and many Filipino families display heaps of round fruits on the dining table for New Year’s Eve. Similarly the Dutch eat donuts for the same reasons.
  3. Greece - The new year is brought in by eating a cake with a coin baked inside for prosperity.
  4. Denmark - The Danes save old dishes throughout the year to throw them at the homes of their friends, as it is a sign you have many friends.  They also jump off chairs simultaneously at the stroke of midnight.
  5. Brazil - The Brazilians make sure to wear red or yellow underwear, signifying love and prosperity.
  6. China - Although their new year is different than ours, the Chinese pass out money to their relatives in red envelopes for happiness and prosperity.
  7. Korea - A special soup called dduk-guk is prepared, with rice cakes to signify that we are all one year older.
  8. Finland - In Finland and Germany, molten metal is poured into a cold bowl of water, and the shape it takes is interpreted as the fortune for the New Year.
  9. Wales - The Welsh open and shut the back door at midnight to release the old year and lock out all its bad luck.
  10. Scotland - The Scottish New Year is Hogmanay where they practice “first-footing” which dictates that the first person to cross the threshold of a home in the New Year should carry a gift for luck (whiskey is the most common).
What are your New Year’s traditions? Tweet us at @plangoplango and let us know!

What We’re Reading This Week

Christmas Lights

This week, team Plango explores the worst holiday travel gifts, predictions for international relations in 2012, what happens to Christmas lights in China, a global food map and a dangerous croissant kidnapper.

  1. The World’s Worst Holiday Souvenirs: among the offerings, a Silvio Berlusconi bobble head. (via The Telegraph)
  2. Hey, There’s Still A World To Run: in 2012, the US, France, Russia and China will all experience changes in leadership.  What will this mean for international relations? (via The Economist)
  3. The Chinese Town That Turns Your Old Christmas Tree Lights Into Slippers: every year, 20 million pounds of discarded Christmas lights make their way to Shijao, China.  What becomes of them? (via The Atlantic)
  4. What a Global Flavor Map Can Tell Us About How We Pair Foods: Explains the difference in flavor pairings between North American and Asian cuisines. (via NPR news)
  5. French Boulangerie Bandit Has a Weakness for Croissants: In Paris, police are on the hunt for a serial croissant thief. (via The LA Times)
What are you reading this week? Follow us on Twitter at @plangoplango and let us know!

20 Beautiful Travel Photos

2011 is coming to an end, so let’s celebrate another year with 20 magnificent photos from around the world! Taken at Amboseli National Park in Kenya. Image: lukasz dzierzanowski Taken in Bangkok, Thailand. Image: MikeBehnken Taken in Arneguy, France. Image: Jule_Berlin Taken in Guilin, … Continue reading