New Year's Traditions From Around the World
Many New Year’s traditions that we take for granted actually date from ancient times. This year, ring out the old and ring in the new with a New Year tradition—or two! From singing “Auld Lang Syne” to eating black-eyed peas for good luck to eating 12 grapes at midnight, discover different ways to celebrate the start of 2021! Make Some Noise Making a lot of noise and light—from fireworks to gun shots to church bells—seems to be a favorite New Year’s pastime across the globe. In Thailand, it was once tradition to fire guns to frighten off demons. In China, firecrackers routed the forces of darkness. In Denmark, they throw plates and glasses against each others’ front doors to banish bad spirits. In Ecuador, it’s tradition to burn effigies of famous people to destroy bad “juju” from the past year and start fresh. In the early American colonies, the sound of pistol shots rang through the air. In the United States today, many watch the ball drop in New York’s Times Square. In other cou
