Rituals to receive the New Year

There are a couple of days left until the arrival of 2022 and the enthusiasm to start a new year invades us, so we are already thinking about our resolutions. From finding a partner, having a baby, losing weight, traveling more among many others, for each of these resolutions there is a ritual to carry out as we receive the New Year. Do you already have yours?

The celebration of the New Year is a long-awaited party, and the rituals cannot be missed: eating grapes, wearing colored underwear, getting under the table to find a partner, and so on. These traditions have passed from generation to generation, some people think that if they carry a ritual out, they will meet their goals for the coming year. Here are the most famous.

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A grape per chime

Eating a grape in each chime in the first minutes of the coming year is the most famous ritual. According to tradition, you must make a wish for each of the 12 grapes, this represents the resolutions you will fulfill throughout the year.

The origin of this ritual is not clear. It is thought that it started in France around the 19th century and from there it spread throughout Europe and reached Mexico, as well as other Latin American countries. Other versions point out that around 1880 in an area of ​​vineyards in Spain, there was a surplus harvest and the people started eating the grapes.

Cleaning the house

Carrying out a deep cleaning of our home, to get rid of bad energies and have space for the new items, is another of the New Year’s rituals.

Lentils for dinner

This dish is associated with abundance, people use to eat a plate to attract it. The relationship between lentils and prosperity dates back to the Romans, who after winter, and to celebrate the beginning of a new year celebrated in March, ate lentils because they believed that their nutritional properties gave them strength for combat.

Wearing new, colorful underwear

Red is for love, yellow is for money, black is for sex, white is for harmony and peace… depending on your resolutions, you must wear a particular color of underwear on the night of December 31st to attract what you want the following year.

Suitcases and backpacks

Taking a walk down our street carrying our suitcases is another of the most common rituals, as it is believed that by doing this, you will travel a lot the following year.

Getting under the table

Surely you have seen many memes these days about people who have sat under the table and already got married. This is related to the belief that getting under the table will help you attract a partner.

The ritual works like this: in the first minutes of the New Year, you get under the table and think positively about what you expect in love.

Throwing water out the window

To ward off “bad vibes”, it is recommended to throw water out the window, either a bucket or a small container; although this is one of the most frequent rituals, try to use water in moderation to avoid waste.

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Lighting candles of different colors

Whether colored, with embedded seeds, in the shape of a sheep or an apple, the twelve candle ritual is another of the New Year’s custom; they represent the twelve months of the year. Catholic tradition says you should bless them during the New Year’s mass, and on the first day of each month you should light a candle.

Putting a ring inside a glass

Another widely used ritual to receive the New Year, especially for those who want to walk down the aisle, is to place a ring in the glass to toast at midnight on December 31st.

These are some of the rituals to receive the New Year. Choose yours!

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara

Spanish version