BY DANIEL SAENZ
For those of us living in the United States, New Year’s Eve and Day may seem like a rather straightforward time of the year. Many people drink while other people living in larger cities attend large festivals with music and fireworks as they count down to the new year. Other parts of the world, however, offer a more exotic, and sometimes rather strange, take on the new year celebration. Whether it is fist fights in the center of town, or cattle whispering, every culture in this world has its own unique perspective for the occasion. And the reasoning behind some of these customs is eyebrow-raising, to say the least.
To start off, Peru has a rather wild tradition known as Takanakuy, which roughly translates to “when the blood is boiling”. On December 25th, Peruvians host festivals where people fist fight each other to resolve their grudges. The reasoning is that it is better to have a clean slate with the people around you before the new year begins. People often wear traditional indigenous clothing coupled with colored masks that reflect Andean cultural symbols. Such a popular custom would be great for fans of Fight Club and for the American healthcare system!
Latin America has also made superstition a mainstream part of New Year’s. Every year, many Latin Americans around the world make sure to pick their undergarments carefully on New Year’s Eve. That’s right — in Latin America, certain colors of underwear have different implications. Red represents love, and green represents wealth in all countries that practice this custom. However, Puerto Rico has also added the color white to represent fertility while Colombia has added the color yellow to represent health and happiness. So for those who want to partake in this custom, pick your colors carefully.
Animal lovers will find a great time in the New Year’s tradition of cattle whispering like the farmers in Belgium. Because Belgium used to be an agrarian nation, cattle have always been rather important in Belgian society. So every year, Belgians whisper good wishes to the cattle to ensure their well-being. Thus, the society can flourish since the well-being of the cattle guarantees good farming, which means a plentiful food supply.
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Japan and Chile take the new year to a more spiritual level. In Japan, people will often ring temple bells 108 times for good luck. This is based on the Buddhist idea that humans are vulnerable to 108 types of sins. Each bell is supposed to represent the sins and the sounds of the chimes represent a warning to stay away from these sins. By ringing the temple bells, it is believed that this will help people have a good new year as they will be on guard against sin.
In Chile, they have sleepovers at cemeteries on the night of New Year’s Eve. Many Chileans believe that their ancestors wait for them in the cemeteries on New Year’s Eve. So, those still living set up camp next to the graves of their loved ones and spend the night there while also playing ambient music. The idea behind this is that it gives people the opportunity to reconnect to their ancestors before a new year begins.
China has a completely different take on New Year’s from the rest of the world. Unlike the most other celebrations of New Year’s, China does not celebrate the new year until the spring. Celebrations for the Chinese New Year begin on the 23rd day of the 12th Lunar month on the traditional Chinese calendar. In preparation for the event, people will often thoroughly clean their homes in order to drive away bad luck and welcome good luck into their homes. They will also decorate their homes with red posters with poems and white lanterns, all of which symbolize good luck and beauty. On the eve of the Spring Festival, people often set fireworks for ushering in good luck. Almost every facility, with the exception of banks and public transport, is closed for the festivities.
The years on the calendar also represent the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. This year is currently the Year of the Rooster. On February 16th of 2018, the Chinese will celebrate the arrival of the Year of The Dog. Festivities such as the ones previously mentioned and iconic customs such as the Dragon Dance, Lion Dance, and beating drums, will continue until early March. Every culture has a unique and exciting take on the arrival of a New Year. So find the one that you want to participate in and have fun!