While many in the states are trying to find the perfect outfit to count down in, some Latin American countries believe that it's what's underneath that counts. Underneath your clothes that is. It's believed the color of your undergarments will influence what kind of year you'll have. Tradition holds that yellow underwear will bring prosperity and success, red will bring love and romance, white will lead to peace and harmony and green will ensure health and well-being.
[Ads /]
In Spain, it is tradition to eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight to ensure good luck for the 12 months that lie ahead. No word yet if chugging 12 grapes worth of wine counts.
In Siberia and Russia, some people dive into frozen lakes while holding onto a tree trunk. As if Canada's traditional polar bear plunge wasn't challenging enough.
In Denmark, come midnight, it is tradition to round up all your broken bits of china and smash it against your friends' door in a sign of affection! The bigger the pile, the more people love you. It doesn't appear that this tradition includes those friends coming over to help you clean up.
In many parts of the world entering a new year makes people want to throw things. In some parts of South Africa, they throw furniture out the window. In Ireland, they hit the walls with bread to get rid of evil spirits.
[Ads /]
Sick of seeing all of those holiday engagement posts on your timeline? Unmarried women in Bolivia gather together to play games that predict weddings for the coming year. Such games include scavenger hunts for bread and rings; another game involves releasing a rooster to see which women can woo it to their pile of corn first. That's not an innuendo.
Hoping to travel in 2017? Do as the Colombians do and carry an empty suitcase around the block.
In the Philippines it's all about the cash. They believe that everything should be round so as to represent coins and bring wealth. Round food, round clothes, as long as it's round. If you've been enjoying all that holiday food, you may count as your something round.