New Year’s Eve Traditions and Superstitions from Around the World

American traditions for celebrating the New Year usually involve a lot of champagne, a big ball dropping, noisemakers, and a lot of football. If you want to spice up your New Year's celebration this year, maybe you can incorporate some of these traditions from around the World.

• The Spanish tradition on New Year's Eve is to eat 12 grapes at midnight. It is done to secure 12 happy months in the upcoming year.
• According to Old English and German folklore, your New Year's Eve kiss is very important: The first person you come across in the new year sets the tone for the next 12 months.
• Speaking of kissing....many cultures believe that if a couple celebrating the new year together doesn't kiss each other at midnight, they are kissing off the future of their relationship. Don't forget to pucker up this year!
• In Mexico and several South American countries, it's customary to ring in the New Year by wearing special underwear. If you're looking for love, wear red. If money is what you desire, wear yellow.
• People in the Philippines believe that wearing polka dots on New Year's Eve will bring a good year ahead.
• Some cultures believe that breaking anything on New Year's Eve means a year of broken things, such as friendships and marriages, is ahead.
• Many cultures refuse to eat any kind of fowl on New Year's Eve, because eating it will mean that the family will have to "scratch out" a living for the next year.