New Year’s Eve is a time for celebration, as we say goodbye to the past 365 days and usher in a fresh start.
Many of us will be ringing in 2026 with fireworks, booze, festive food, parties and the singing of Auld Lang Syne – either in our own homes with family, or at an organised public event with friends and fellow revellers.
But New Year is also marked with a number of unusual traditions in different parts of the world, including right here in the UK.
Some of these customs are pretty old, so won’t necessarily be common practice in this day and age. However, others are still widely enjoyed throughout their countries of origin – and are easy to try for yourself.
The world’s weirdest New Year’s traditions
Grapes in Spain
As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, the Spanish eat 12 green grapes in quick succession.
This tradition – which dates back as far as 1895, becoming more common from 1909 onwards – stems from the superstition that each grape brings good luck for one month of the year.
It’s a practice that’s spreading across the globe too, with Tesco recently releasing a special packet of 12 grapes so British shoppers can take part.
Wearing white in Brazil
In the South American country, White-coloured clothing is said to signify peace and happiness.
As such, people in or from Brazil often wear it on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, hoping to start January off right.
Suitcases in Colombia
Meanwhile, over in Colombia, there’s a tradition (or perhaps more of a legend) that carrying an empty suitcase on December 31 is good luck.
It’s said to usher in plenty of travel opportunities for the New Year ahead.
Going ’round’ in the Philippines
Perhaps the most commonly-known Filipino tradition for New Year’s Eve is the wearing, collection or eating of round items.
Round fruits are consumed, and clothing with round patterns (such as circles or polka dots) are worn, as this shape is said to bring good luck. Coins are of course round too, which invites prosperity.
Onions in Greece
It may mean starting 2026 with your house smelling somewhat pungent, but if your 2025 wasn’t one to remember, the Greek New Year ritual of hanging an onion on your door could help you draw a line under it.
This long-standing custom is said to symbolise rebirth, as the onion peels away to reveal many layers.
Tradition also says Greek parents should gently bop their kids on the head with an onion to wake them on New Year’s Day. Certainly an amusing one to try anywhere in the world!
Vasilopita in the Balkans
Vasilopita is a Greek cake or bread, made especially for New Year’s Day, which is baked with a coin inside.
As long as you don’t accidentally eat it, this small token is said to bring good fortune for the upcoming 365 days.
Though it’s typically associated with Greece, Vasilopita is also enjoyed in the Balkans and around Eastern Europe.
Burning effigies in Ecuador
Effigies of famous folk, newsworthy politicians, and cartoon characters are set aflame on New Year’s Eve in Ecuador.
These figurines aren’t burnt to disparage anyone; it’s more that they represent relevant people from the year that’s passed – and the burning represents cleansing the old and welcoming in the new.
According to Atlas Obscura, this tradition dates back to around 1895, when townspeople of Guayaquil burned coffins in a ritual following an outbreak of Yellow Fever.
An icy dip in Scotland
The Hogmanay street party in the Scottish capital Edinburgh is the ultimate New Year celebration.
But a more unusual way to ring in January 1 happens in South Queensferry, a 35-minute drive away.
Locals and visitors alike jump into the freezing cold North Sea estuary Firth of Forth – in what’s known as the ‘Loony Dook’. Crazy costumes aren’t essential, but many get creative with their swimwear for the occasion.
Bell ringing in Japan
At midnight on December 31 each year, you’ll hear 108 bells ring out all over Japan, in a practice called Joya-no-Kane.
These bells are rung from Buddhist temples across the country – with the 108 chimes numbered to represent what’s known in the faith as the ‘Earthly temptations’.
It’s still done in Japan today, and if you’re there, you may even be able to witness the bells toll on TV or hear them on the radio.
Smashing plates in Denmark
It’s probably not wise to start the New Year by rendering all of your household crockery completely useless.
However, in Denmark, it’s tradition to smash unused plates outside of their loved ones’ homes.
If you’ve got lots of broken plates outside when you wake up on New Year’s Day, it could mean you’re very popular – but if you have a Danish neighbour or friend, it could just be that you’re due 365 days of good luck.
Melting tin in Finland
Finland’s traditional New Year’s Eve activity has a fortune-telling aspect to it, according to This Is Finland.
Finns will melt a mini tin horseshoe in a pan until it completely melts, before pouring the resulting metallic goo into a cold bucket of water – instantly cooling and hardening it up.
Whatever shape the horseshoe now takes is said to represent what’s to come in the year ahead. Ideally, we’d like to see a pound sign, four-leaf clover, or a love heart, please.
Over-eating in Estonia
If you love to scran, then you’ll love New Year’s Day in the Baltic country of Estonia.
When you wake up on January 1, tradition dictates you should eat a lucky number of meals; seven (for the unadventurous), nine, 12 (if you can stomach it), or whatever your personal lucky number is (as long as it’s not too high).
If those numbers spook you, don’t panic; they don’t need to be huge meals.
Eating doughnuts in Germany
And if Estonia’s tradition is too much for your tum, you may find Germany’s to be a more easily-digestible option.
Here, it’s tradition to eat a Berliner doughnut – called Krapfen in southern Germany – on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.
These frosted doughnuts were once reserved as a festive sweet treat, filled with whatever sugary goodness you prefer: fruity jam (or jelly), delicious melty chocolate, vanilla cream…
You can buy jelly-filled Berliners all year round nowadays, but why not honour the past and treat yourself to an extra on December 31.
Calennig in Wales
One old-school Welsh tradition for New Year’s saw residents provide each other with calennig, which basically means a ‘New Year gift’ or celebration.
Physical offerings were usually an apple decorated with leaves, twigs, and nuts, and on New Year’s Day, children would spend the morning visiting neighbours and singing. Perhaps, if they were lucky, they’d be given a leftover Christmas sweet or two, according to the National Library of Wales.
Furniture-throwing in Italy
Starting off the New Year without your sofa wouldn’t feel so lucky, but if you’ve got some old pieces lying around that you don’t need, putting them outside on New Year’s Eve is a good way to usher in a fresh start for January 1.
Chucking the furniture off your balcony, or straight out the window, is the traditional Italian way to go about it, as depicted in a classic Italian film, Cinema Paradiso.
Fortune-telling apples in Czech Republic
This lovely tradition from the Czech Republic doesn’t involve much: just an apple and a knife.
Simply cut an apple in half to see what lies in store for you next year, based on the pattern of the seeds inside.
If it’s a star shape, good health and luck are forthcoming. If there’s a cross with four points, it’s bad news, as ill-health or an upcoming death in the family could be on the cards.
Traditionally, the cutting of the apple is done at Christmas dinner, usually held on Christmas Eve. Everyone around the table will show each other their apple-predicted fates.
Mistletoe in Ireland
If you’re single and hoping to meet the person of your dreams in 2026, this old Irish tradition might be for you.
Simply pop some mistletoe under your pillow as you hit the hay on New Year’s Eve. A bit of romantic luck may then be thrown your way in the weeks and months to come.
Banging bread in Ireland
Another superstition hailing from the Emerald Isle is banging specially-baked Christmas bread against the walls.
The New Year’s Eve practice involves lobbing the bread against doors and walls in your house, in order to help bat away lingering bad spirits and make some room for the good ones.
Whether anyone takes part in this old folklore nowadays is debatable – but it certainly sounds fun (if a little messy).
Smashing pomegranates in Turkey
Last but not least is another semi-violent food-related New Year custom, this time from Turkey.
These rich fruits represent prosperity, and by smashing one in front of your home, it’ll hopefully rub off on you.
Wear red (for luck in love) and turn on your taps (to welcome good luck) at midnight to complete a trifecta of Turkish New Year traditions.
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