The Swiss drop a dollop of cream on the floor, which is believed to bring luck, wealth, and peace in the coming year.
One common tradition is cleaning your house thoroughly on or before New Year's Eve. Out with the old, in with the new they say. Most people believe in the idea that cleaning your house before the first day of the New Year ensures that you don't carry in your old, somewhat soiled, life into the New Year.
1. United States: Watching the ball drop. Millions of Americans gather around their television sets (or on the streets of Times Square, despite freezing temps) to watch the ball drop at the stroke of midnight each year.
Don't wash those clothes
According to folklore, if you wash clothes on New Year's Day, you'll be “washing for the dead” or washing a loved one away -- meaning someone in your household will die in the coming year. Get your laundry washed, dried, folded and put away by New Year's Eve.
A task as common as washing hair becomes questionable during the New Year. This is because many people believe that washing your hair also causes all your good luck to be washed off during the auspicious time of the new year.
Perform a Cleansing Ritual: Sage New Years Eve. They say how you enter the new year is how you will continue throughout the year-- why not start it with good vibes. Bring in the New Year by performing a cleansing ritual.
Spend New Year's Eve in meditation.
Spend it in quiet meditation or prayer as a way to start the year in peace and harmony. Make sure you arrange for your meditation time to extend past midnight. It's the perfect way to not only start a brand new year but end an old one. You can also do this with others if you prefer.
Greens, Black-Eyed Peas, Cornbread, and Ham | Photo by Meredith. You might say you're not superstitious, but why tempt fate? Dig into these traditional lucky foods on New Year's Day to attract abundance and prosperity in the year ahead.
Ham is often a holiday centerpiece, but pork is specifically thought to bring good luck on New Year's Day.
Originating in the 19th century, the New Year's meal typically consists of black eyed peas, cabbage, and cornbread. Each of the foods has a symbolic meaning for the new year. The black eyed peas have a different meaning for some people.
The Twelve Grapes (Sp. las doce uvas de la suerte, "the twelve grapes of luck") is a Spanish tradition that consists of eating a grape with each of the twelve clock bell strikes at midnight of December 31 to welcome the New Year. Each grape and clock bell strike represents each of the coming twelve months.
For centuries, the Chinese have believed cleaning on the first couple of days of a new year, especially sweeping on New Year's Day, brings bad luck. Since this seems to be one of the oldest New Year's superstitions, go ahead and skip the sweeping.
Cornbread, with its yellow hue, represents “gold.” Pork/Ham – Whether you use ham to flavor the Hoppin' John, or the greens, pork is meant to bring “forward motion” or “advancement” in the year ahead.
It's also suggested you should not eat certain things on New Year's Eve, in order to prevent bad luck for the year ahead, such as lobster and chicken. Since lobsters can move backwards, eating them before the stroke of midnight may cause setbacks. For chickens, the idea is similar as they can scratch backwards.
1. Do not wash clothes or dishes on New Year's Day as you'll be washing for the dead in the new year. Now, normally, I love a good excuse not to do laundry or dishes, but it seems like every year on New Year's Day I actually need to do laundry and dishes. I think it's just because I know I'm not supposed to do any.
Round desserts, like bundts, donuts, layer cakes, cookies, and more are all believed to bring a full circle of luck in the New Year.
The round shape symbolizes coins, which represent prosperity and wealth for each month of the upcoming year. Apples, melons, oranges and grapes are popular picks, but any round fruit will do.
[For a couple], the kiss at midnight is said to strengthen that bond, which is where the superstition comes in. If a couple doesn't kiss at midnight, people believe that their bond is not as strong and could fail in the year to come.”