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Sunday 1 January 2012

10 Strange But True New Year’s Traditions

10 Strange But True New Year’s Traditions
Posted by MydeaMedia
Idea 2 Media  Dr. Hari Nair

1. Lead Pouring, Germany and Austria


When it comes to strange New Year traditions, or any other traditions, Germans and Austrians are true champions. “Lead pouring” is an old tradition which include using molten lead like tea leaves. The lead pieces are poured into a bowl full of water. The lead forms some shape in it and predicts what’s going to happen in next year. For example, the ball means luck all over the year, an anchor means eventual need of help, while the cross means death.

2. Burning Portraits, Ecuador


It isn’t pleasant when you’ll see someone’s picture burning, but in Ecuador that’s real fiesta. The locals gather together with pictures that represent something from the last year and burn it. That’s the way they rid of the past. On the New Year’s Eve the night in Ecuador is enlightened by all these fires throughout the country.

3. Colorful Underwear, Mexico


Mexicans try to secure their happiness in the New Year wearing colorful underwear on the New Year’s Eve. Those who want to find love have to wear red underwear, while those who seek only for luck wear yellow.

4. Circles, Philippines


Unlike the Mexicans who seek only for love and a little luck, Philippines people want money. That could be their way to happiness, anyway. For that purpose they dress in clothes with circular patterns. They might look funny, but who knows, maybe some of them will win the next lottery. Despite the clothes they use to serve circular as well.

5. Fund Raising for Happiness, Turkey


This is not a strange event at all, it is totally great. However, people’s superstitions are always strange. Turkish people believe that taking participation in community service and organizing fund raising events will bring them happiness. Of course, it won’t bring them new girlfriend, BMW or a lot of money, but certainly there will be people who will find themselves happy due to these activities.

6. Graveyard Visit, Chile


This is really creepy one. In Chilean city of Talca people take participation on a mass on the New Year’s Eve. When it’s over, they all go to the graveyard, set up their chairs and wait for the New Year with the deceased. That’s how a man could celebrate the New Year’s Eve forever.

7. “Dinner for One,” Germany


This is very weird and extremely unreasonable tradition. However, we’re back to Germany so nothing is strange enough here. Since 1972, every single year, on midnight Germans watch the British show “Dinner for One.” It’s unknown how this tradition has started, but it’s so popular that even the punch line “same procedure every year” now is a catch phrase in Germany.

8. Yellow Underwear, Bolivia


This tradition is very similar to the Mexican mentioned above. But this time it’s important when the underwear is changed. People in Bolivia have to buy some yellow underwear piece and to wait for midnight. When it comes they just run to a place to change it and believe that their luck will change as well.

9. Throwing Dishes, Denmark


Maybe it wouldn’t be pleasant if you find thrown dishes on your doorstep in the morning, but if you’re in Denmark things look different. People there use to keep the old dishes throughout the whole year. The purpose: they throw it on their friends’ doors on New Year’s Eve. So, they don’t think that someone hates them when they find the dishes on January 1st, but they know that they have many friends.

10. Washing Away, Puerto Rico


People in Puerto Rico literally wash away the old year when they await for the new one. On the New Year’s Eve they throw buckets of water out of their windows to clean out the old year. Also they clean their homes and decorate them in this cleaning spirit

Copyright to Mydeamedia @ 2012

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