What Are Some of the Unique New Year Celebrations Around the World?

Each year, billions of people around the planet celebrate a new year on January 1st. However, this particular New Year celebration is based on the Gregorian calendar, which not every country, culture, or religion follows. There are numerous other new year celebrations in different parts of the world, many of which take place at other times of the year. A lot of people around the world celebrate both the new year on January 1st based on the Gregorian calendar and their other local new year holidays. Let’s explore some of the unique new year celebrations around the world.

New Years in Different Cultures

• Lunar New Year - Lunar New Year—also known as the Spring Festival—is celebrated in many East Asian countries, including China, Korea, Vietnam, and more. It begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends with the first full moon of the lunar calendar, which is about 15 days later. These dates vary each year according to Gregorian (Western) calendars but generally begin between January 21st and February 20th.

In traditional Lunar New Year celebrations, New Year’s eve and New Year’s day are dedicated to spending time with families, which often includes religious ceremonies honoring ancestors. During the festival, celebrations also commonly include receiving red envelopes (lai see) with money, dances, fireworks, traditional foods, and a Lantern Festival on the final day of festivities.

• Jewish New Year - Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year” or “first of the year” in Hebrew, and is the celebration of the new year in Judaism and one of the holiest days of the year. Based on the Hebrew calendar, the holiday occurs on the first day of the seventh month, so it generally begins in either September or October.

This Jewish new year festival is more subdued and contemplative than other new year celebrations. Some of the common customs include eating apples and honey, eating challah (a traditional braided bread), throwing bread into a flowing body of water while reciting prayers (tashlich), and wishing each other a good year (“L’shana Tova”).

• Islamic New Year - Islam also follows the lunar calendar, and one of the most important holidays in the religion is the new year celebration, known as the Arabic or Hijrī New Year. The first month of the new year is known as Muharram and is a sacred time of mourning and reflection for Muslims that includes prayer and family time. Customs and celebrations differ between different sects of Islam but generally contain fasting, prayer, commemorative foods, and periods of mourning. The Hijrī new year serves as an annual reminder of Islam’s long history, the passage of time, and the resilience of Muslim people.

• Bengali New Year - The Bengali new year festival is known as Pohela Boishakh and marks the first day of Baishakh, the first month in the Bengali solar calendar. The new year is celebrated in both West Bengal and Bangladesh. It involves people visiting temples, wearing new clothes, spending time with loved ones, and enjoying traditional dishes like ​​dhokar dalna, ilish maach, rice, sweets, and chanar dal.

• Tamil New Year - The south Indian state of Tamil Nadu also has its own new year celebration known as Puthandu, also known as Varusha pirappu. The Tamil new year is observed on the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai, and involves cleaning and decorating the home, wearing new clothes, children seeking blessings from elders, as well as preparing trays with fruits, flowers, and more, and a vegetarian feast shared by the entire family.

But those who celebrate January 1st as the new year also do so differently throughout different parts of the planet. Here are some of the interesting new year celebrations around the world:

Brazil

Wearing white clothing for prosperity, luck, and is meant to ward off evil spirits

Colombia

Carrying empty suitcases in the hopes of a new year filled with travel, as well as holding money to bring financial security in the next year

Spain

Consuming 12 grapes—one for each toll of the clock at midnight—for good luck for each month of the year

Netherlands

Enjoying fireworks, burning cars and Christmas trees to get rid of the old and welcome the new, eating oliebollen (doughnut-like balls), and jumping into the North Sea

Ecuador

Burning effigies to symbolize burning the año viejo, or “old year,” and hoping for good fortune in the new one

Denmark

Smashing plates and old dishes as a way to ward off evil spirits

Switzerland

Dropping ice cream on the floor at midnight in the hopes of abundance, good luck, and wealth in the new year

Japan

Known as Oshogatsu, the Japanese New Year is celebrated by sending letters to friends and family, wearing kimonos, attending year-forgetting parties known as Bonekai, eating Soba noodles, and giving children small gifts with money inside, known as otoshidama

Greece

Known as the Festival of Saint Basil—founder of the Greek Orthodox Church—the Greek New Year is celebrated by hanging an onion on the door or waking children up by tapping an onion on their heads. Another custom includes eating Saint Basil’s cake (Vasilopita), which is baked with a silver or gold coin inside, the finder of which is considered especially lucky in the new year

India

People all across India celebrate the new year in different ways, including dressing colorfully and partaking in fun activities, like going to parties, playing games, singing, dancing, watching fireworks, and more. Many people also use the holiday as a time to go to the movies, visit a nightclub, go out to eat, stay at a resort, or even visit an amusement park 

No matter when, where, or how you celebrate a new year, we wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy year ahead!

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