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Hitting bread loaf on the wall to eating grapes: New Year customs from around the world

In some countries, people follow certain good ol' food traditions to welcome the New Year.

• By: Madhuli Trivedi |
• December 28, 2017 7:10 pm

Not everybody celebrates their New Year having a family dinner or shaking a leg with their friends at a bar. In some countries, people follow certain good ol’ food traditions to welcome the New Year. These traditions actually date back to ancient times and if you think only your New Year Party gets crazy, wait for it.

Have a look at how people from Spain to Denmark celebrate New Year:

1. Spaniards pop in 12 grapes 

When the clock strikes 12 on 31 December every year, people in Spain pop in 12 grapes. Yes, 12 and only 12. This is more of a superstition than a tradition. They eat one grape for each stroke of midnight. For them, it  symbolises 12 lucky months.

2. Filipinos welcome the New Year by eating round fruits 

Filipinos ring in the New Year by eating 12 round fruits, which signifies prosperity and wealth. People in Philippines eat only round fruits like grapes, oranges, cantaloupes etc. Also, each fruit signifies each month of the year.

ALSO READ: Ice Cream Cones to Potato Chips: 7 food inventions that happened purely by accident

3. People of Switzerland drop their ice cream on the floor

Who would love to drop ice cream on the floor? People in Switzerland do this every year. They believe that dropping ice cream would bring in a lot of good luck in the coming year.

4. Russians write down their wish on a paper and gulp it down

Yes, you read that right. People in Russia write their wish on a piece of paper, put it in the glass of champagne and gulp all of it down as soon as the clock strikes 12.

5. Greeks bake a coin in bread

In Greece, people wrap a coin in a tin foil, put it inside a bread and bake it. Now, whoever gets the coin is believed to have a good luck through the year. The tradition is celebrated to honour St Basil The Great.

6. Irish hit the walls with a loaf of bread

Right before clocks strikes 12, people in Ireland smack bread loaf on the wall. It is believed that hitting walls with bread loaf is the quickest way to drive away negativity out of the house. They also bang on the doors to welcome the good spirits.

7. People in Denmark break their plates to show affection

As strange as it might sound, people in Denmark break their plates outside their neighbours’ house. No, it is not what you’re thinking, they do it to show their affection. So automatically, the person who gets the maximum plates smashed outside their house is most loved.