Unique ways to welcome the new year

In Denmark, residents save old dishes and throw these on friends’ doors during New Year.  This symbolizes friendship and brotherhood—the one with maximum dishes outside has the most friends!

In China, the front door of a house is painted red, which symbolizes happiness and good fortune. They hide all knives for the day so no one cuts oneself, because it may cut the entire family’s good luck for the coming year.

In Greece and Bolivia, people bake sweets or bread with some coins in them. Whoever gets the slice with the coin is supposed to be blessed with extra good luck.

In Wales, at the first toll of midnight, the back door is opened and then immediately shut to release the old year and lock out all the bad luck it brought. At the 12th  toll of the clock, the door is reopened to welcome the New Year with all its goodness, luck and prosperity!

In Japan, people clean the house, settle every financial liability, and resolve all issues before New Year. Before the clock strikes 12, they ring 108 bells to show that all troubles have been eliminated.

The Spanish eat 12 grapes at every toll of the clock during the New Year to bring good luck and happiness for the coming year.

In Puerto Rico, people throw buckets of water out of their windows and clean their homes. In some areas of South Africa, they throw furniture out of the window. (Watch out for flying objects!)

In Chile, people go to the cemetery and wait for New Year to come, along with the dead bodies.

In some South American countries, wearing colored underwear will determine your fate for the coming year! Red underwear means you’ll find love. Gold means wealth, and white signifies peace.

In a Peruvian village, men and women fist fight to settle their differences. They then start the year off on a clean slate (and, with bruises and black eyes!)

In Switzerland, they celebrate by dropping ice cream on the floor. In Colombia, they carry suitcases around all day, in hopes of having a travel-filled year. In Ireland, they hit the walls with bread to get rid of evil spirits.

As for ourselves, we spend time hearing and chanting the names of the Supreme Being for supreme protection and purification.   A person can chant any name of God such as Jehovah, Yahweh, Allah, Krishna, Rama, etc.

All these names have the great power to cleanse the heart and mind, as well as the environment, of all evil spirits. This will ensure a secure existence— and we can then travel to the spiritual realm of peace and happiness!

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