The one day that is celebrated with aplomb the world over is the time when we all bid adieu to the going year at midnight and welcome the New Year with much enthusiasm. People let loose and take part in the celebrations which mark the beginning of new times and so on New Year’s Eve, it actually becomes quite imperative for all of us to enjoy in whatever way we can.
If you think dancing away the entire night on New Year’s Eve is a crazy way to ring in the new year, then you are about to get a few surprises before this year actually ends on the Calendar. For we have for you a list of weird traditions that are followed by people of these countries to welcome the New Year.
Between Christmas and New Year, Romanians dance so that the evil spirits of the world are chased away. But the weird element in this dancing tradition is that men and women dress up in real bear skins with a thick red tassel and mostly with a metal ring that is put into the animal’s nose. This tradition actually started a few centuries ago, when nomadic Roma used to bring their pet bears and used to force them to dance. No one exactly knows when this switch was done, which made people wear the skins of the bear. The dancing troupe goes on about the town to homes and restaurants, all the while dancing and singing to basically chase away the evil spirits of the year gone by.
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Taking large straw and paper dolls, people of Ecuador, come onto the streets and burn the effigies on New Year’s Eve. The figures can be the ones made by the families, but basically the parade that shows up on the streets have giant float-like figures of celebrities or prominent politicians. The figures can also be of fictional characters like that of the Spiderman or Spongebob. Though, the tradition now is associated to symbolically cleansing the bad elements of the old year, initially the tradition had started because of the need to burn the clothes of the infected. In fact, for more fortune, some people even jump across the flames twelve times.
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While following another tradition, men in Ecuador dress up as the widows of the burnt effigies, some even calling them as the ‘widows of the old year.’ The tradition involves dressing up in revealing tops and short skirts and wigs and then the groups of people dance on streets, even harassing the drivers to take some coins from them to let them pass.
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On 31st December, the Swiss take part in the annual visit of the St. Sylvester’s mummers or as it is natively known, the visit of the Silvesterklaeuse. The mummers dress up in very elaborate traditional clothes, or even in full-length coats that are made from conifer or ivy branches. The masks that they put on their faces may resemble some evil pinecone-possessed Grinch or even a possessed porcelain doll. On top of this ensemble, they also wear a prickly large wreath and that is not all. The entire look gets completed when the mummers wear giant cowbells, which are mostly the size of watermelons. With these costumes, the mummers then walk in snow, village to village ringing in the New Year with their giant cowbells.
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In one of the weirdest traditions that people follow during the last days of the year, the residents of a town in Peru beat each other up. The festival, known as Takanakuy is actually celebrated on the morning of Christmas, but basically, the intention is to start the New Year with the right spirit. In Santo Tomas, neighbors and relatives drink a ton and then wear masks before heading to the bullfighting ring to settle their differences.
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The Estonians have this belief that if they eat 7, 9 or 12 meals then they will have the power and vitality of that much number of men in the coming year. And this gastronomical feat also ensures that there is an abundance of food for the person and his family. The meals are not small and include sauerkraut, blood sausage and boiled hogshead. The only relieving aspect is that one is supposed to leave food from each meal, basically as an offering for all the ancestors and their spirits that might pay a visit to the house later at night.
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The world knows about the ball drop of Times Square, and this is a national tradition in the USA where many cities organize their own ball dropping countdowns. The custom which was started in 1908 has been taken by many different cities where varied things and even people are placed in the ball. One of the most controversial drops occurs in the region of Brasstown, NC, and here a live opossum is actually lowered into the glass pyramid before starting the countdown. This bewildered, but unharmed creature is later released into the wild.
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In many countries, it is believed that one should wear colorful and newly purchased knickers to influence the New Year in a positive way. In South America, different colors signify different things; yellow is selected for wealth and green is chosen to have Hope. In fact, some people also say that one should wear their undergarments inside out and on top of the clothes, that is for extra luck.
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