Welcoming the New Year: As you plan how to ring in the new year, 2023, you might want to try a practice from another country. The last few years have been truly unique, but one thing has been clear: some traditions are more important than ever because they keep us grounded and remind us of the future (and what to watch out for if you believe in any bad luck for the New Year).
Some people can’t travel at this time of year, so we’ve put together a list of our favorite New Year’s traditions from around the world. For a virtual party, choose one that works well, or ask some friends to join in the fun. While you talk about the best songs of 2022, make traditional New Year’s food or give each other gifts. You could also start a new tradition and watch some of the best New Year’s movies instead.
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New year sentiments
There are many 2024 New Year greetings and wishes for friends, family, coworkers, and even coworkers themselves. You can send a short “Happy New Year” text on the day of, write a warm note in a card ahead of time (maybe along with your Merry Christmas messages), or even tell a funny New Year’s joke. You can copy these wishes word-for-word or use them as a starting point for your own message.
- Cheers to the New Year! ????
- Wishing you blessings & prosperity in 2024.
- May your 2024 be filled joy.
- Here’s to new beginnings. Happy New Year! ????
- The best is yet to come. Happy 2024!
- Have a sparkling New Year!
- Here’s to what’s to be in 2024!
- Same time next year?
- Sorry I didn’t get my Christmas card out on time!
- New adventures are around the corner. Happy New Year!
- Make way for 2024!
- I said this 365 days ago, but happy New Year!
- May the new year bless you with health, wealth, and happiness.
- Out with the old, in with the new! Happy New Year!
- Here’s hoping you make the most of 2024!
- May the new year bring you peace, joy, and happiness.
- Wishing you and yours health and prosperity in the new year.
- Let your dreams take flight in the new year!
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New year Traditions & Practices
It is common in some countries to eat foods that bring good luck at the beginning of the year. For some, following New Year beliefs, like wearing a certain color of underwear or arranging the house in a certain way, will bring them health, wealth, and happiness in the months to come.
But we can’t say for sure that any one New Year’s practice will make the coming year better. It doesn’t hurt to try a few though to see what works. Besides, being in a good mood on New Year’s Eve is a big part of getting off to a good start in 2024, and these will definitely help you get there. At the very least, you’ll have learned something interesting about the New Year.
Have Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day
Lots of people think that making this food with black-eyed peas, pork, and rice on January 1 will bring them luck and peace all year. And perhaps also wealth: History.com says, “Hoppin’ John was and still is often eaten with collard greens, which can look like cash, and “golden” cornbread.” In this case, the peas are like coins. Some families believe that adding extra pork or a penny under the dishes or putting money under them will make their Hoppin’ John more lucky.
You could also try something else.
In many countries, eating round foods on New Year’s Eve will bring good luck. In Italy, lentils are used in the same way that black-eyed peas are in Hoppin’ John. Their round form looks like coins. And in the Philippines, it’s tradition to eat 12 round fruits, one for each month, to make sure you have plenty of food all year. During the media noche, or midnight meal, the vegetables are often the most important thing on the table.
Put on Dots
And in the Philippines, people don’t just try to eat circles; they also wear them to parties. On December 31, polka dots are all the rage, which makes it more likely that you will have luck in the new year.
Watch the Ball (or Something) Drop
People have been coming to Times Square in New York City to see the ball drop since 1907. Today, you can watch a 12-foot, 11,875-pound geodesic sphere covered in 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles and 32,256 LEDs fall from the safety of your own house. The first one was made of iron and wood. The Big Cheese Drop in Plymouth, Wisconsin, marks the beginning of the new year. In Kennett Square, PA, a giant mushroom is used, and in New Orleans, a fleur de lis (formerly a big gumbo pot) is dropped. It makes for an exciting countdown no matter what sign is used.
Put on white
There are more clothes to choose from for New Year’s Eve in Brazil because everyone wears white for peace and luck. The pictures will also look more classy if everyone wears the same thing.
Jump on Seven Waves
Another thing you can do to improve your luck in Brazil is to go to the beach and jump over seven waves. Each wave gives you one wish, so make a list of what you want before you go in.
Give Presents
Since Soviet Russia didn’t allow Christmas, New Year’s became the big holiday for giving gifts. Ded Moroz, also known as Father Frost, brought gifts in place of Santa, and his granddaughter Snegourochka frequently assisted him. Are you ready to give gifts again?
Make a promise.
You might think that making goals for the new year is a fairly new practice, but it has been around for a very long time. It probably goes back more than 4,000 years. Historians think that the Babylonians, who were one of the first cultures to celebrate the new year, promised to pay back loans or return things they had taken. You can do it too if they could. Need help setting a goal for 2024? We have a lot of ideas for New Year’s resolutions that you can actually keep.
Put together a fish dish.
People also think that fish is a good New Year’s meal because fish only swim forward, which is like how time moves.
Break a Plate
People in Denmark break dishes on the doorsteps of their friends and family because they think it’s funny. People will wish you luck and like you more the next day if there are more bits in front of your house (unless you have to pick them all up). “I once threw a cup at my friend’s house,” a partygoer told the University of Copenhagen’s University Post. But try to leave it at the door. “His window broke, not the cup!”
Take 12 Grapes.
Yes, twelve. One for each second of midnight to mark the start of a new year. “Eating one grape at each of midnight’s 12 clock chimes guarantees you a lucky year — if and only if you simultaneously ruminate on their significance,” based on Atlas Obscura. “If you fail to conscientiously finish your grapes by the time the clock stops chiming, you’ll face misfortune in the new year.” That’s a lot to think about!
Making a model of an old man and setting it on fire
As an associate creative director at BBDO San Francisco, Stephanie Fernandes says, “Back in Bombay, we’d make a figure of a “old man” to represent the old year and burn it at midnight.” The fire means that problems from the old year are over and there is room for a new one to start. “Everyone would gather and sing ‘Auld Lang Syne.’ After that, there would be a little party.” Bombay is very global and has a lot of people of different faiths living there. Because of this, there are a lot of different events, but this one brought people of all ages and faiths together.
Eating noodle soup
Here’s a snack idea for New Year’s Eve: A warm bowl of soba noodles is what people in Japan eat to start the New Year. It has been done since the time of Kamakura because a Buddhist temple used to give the noodles to poor people. People think that eating the long, thin noodles, which are hard but easy to bite, is a way to break away from the old year.
Champagne and a feast
In France, the idea of drinking wine is about as new as flower arrangements for spring. But to celebrate the New Year, the French go all out with Champagne. There is always a lot of dancing and party hopping, but the food stays the same: oysters, turkey, goose, or a Cornish hen are served with sparkling wines.
Sharing a bowl of soup
“January 1 is actually Haitian Independence Day,” says Olivier Joseph, a Chicago graduate student at the Pritzker School of Medicine. Because of this, there is a special meal for New Year’s that is very important. Black slaves were not allowed to eat pumpkin soup, also known as soup joumou. That’s why we eat it. People often let us bring some of our soup to their homes and trade it for some of theirs. Each person makes it a little differently.
