Unique New Year’s traditions from around the world

Fireworks and Champagne, watching the Times Square countdown and singing “Auld Lang Syne” — these are all familiar ways New Year’s Eve is celebrated in the United States.

Around the world, other cultures have their own ways of ringing in the new.

Some countries’ citizens eat lucky foods — in quantities of 12. In Spain, Portugal and some Latin American countries such as Colombia, it may be eating 12 grapes or raisins. An Italian tradition is to eat one spoonful of lentils on each of the 12 church bell chimes at midnight.

Scottish traditions include a “redding” of the house, a deep clean to welcome the New Year, and “first footing,” being the first one to visit a neighbor in the New Year.

In the Philippines kids might jump as high as they can at midnight in order to grow taller in the New Year. There is a traditional belief that round shapes symbolize prosperity and happiness in the year to come, so some wear polka dots or eat round fruits as part of the celebration.

Festa de Lemanjá is a Brazilian New Year’s Eve celebration where everyone wears white and runs into the sea at midnight, jumping over seven waves with a different wish for the New Year for each wave.

Hoping to travel and have a New Year filled with new adventures? Perhaps try the Latin American tradition of Mexico and other countries of taking an empty suitcase around the block.

Pomegranates are often a symbol of good things to come. In Greece there is a custom of hanging a pomegranate from the door. Everyone goes outside, and at midnight one member of the household walks back in, right foot first, to bring luck to the family. Someone else then smashes the pomegranate against the door with their right — the more juice, the more prosperity to come in the New Year.

In Cuba on New Year’s Eve, in addition to perhaps reenacting the scene from “The Godfather II” when Michael lets Fredo know he’s on to his betrayal while Castro and his forces took over the country, it might be best to avoid walking near doorways — people may be symbolically tossing out all the previous year’s negative energy by throwing a bucket of water out the front door.

In Northern Spain there is the myth of the man of many noses who appears on the last day of the year. The character is said to have as many noses as there are days of the year left, and children are encouraged to search for him because, according to tradition, he will grant wishes. The trick is that on the last day of the year, he has only one nose, making it very difficult to locate him.

And in Denmark it is considered good luck to jump into the New Year and bad luck if you don’t jump, so many people greet the New Year by jumping off a chair or other furniture.

Wearing red underwear to see in the New Year is the way to ensure a good year to come in Italy and Spain. And in Spain, be sure that underwear is new.