Spray guns, fights and even the cementary: How do other countries celebrate New Year's?

Another year has come and gone and we’re getting ready to set off fireworks and throw confetti again. However, you’d be wrong to only associate ringing in the New Year with fireworks and confetti.  People elsewhere welcome in the New Year in various different ways. How? Some with animals, others at cemeteries and you will even find some people having water fights!

A massive neighbourhood fight

Believe it or not, some countries fight their neighbours on the last day of the year. This Peruvian tradition is very widespread. The locals want to ring in the New Year with a clean slate, so they settle all their disputes by fighting with their neighbours. Therefore, no one holds any grudges against one another into the New Year. You know how it is… The grumpy neighbour next door plays his music too loud and into all hours of the night, mows his lawn on Sunday mornings or yells all the time. So, you beat him up on New Year’s to let all your anger out. Come to think of it, it’s actually not a bad tradition. Keep in mind that taking part is voluntary and gender is not taken into consideration. Men and women go at it head-to-head. There’s obviously a lot of food and drinks to keep the neighbours strong.

In terms of welcoming in the New Year with a clean slate, the people from South Africa also have somewhat of a “cleansing” custom. They throw their old furniture out of their windows on the last day of the year so that they have enough room for the new furniture. Although it’s not as brutal a tradition as the previous one, don’t forget that flying furniture may cause a few injuries here and there.

The cemetery or a pie?

Chileans certainly don’t indulge in violence on New Year’s, but they spend time at cemeteries because they want to spend the New Year with loved ones, who have passed on. Thousands of people gather at the graves, some people even eat and drink champagne here.

Let’s now look at the more pleasant and calmer, yet possibly more dangerous and dirty habits. In Bolivia they bake coins into their pies and good fortune in the New Year awaits the one, who gets that piece or bites into the coin. Well… maybe they could be inspired by our traditions and start roasting peas or beans. After all, it is a less invasive solution in comparison to coins.

Do you recall the annual debate on how much New Year’s festivities negatively impact animals? In Romania, they went about it in their own way. People in Romania spend time with their pets to see if they start talking by any chance. If the pets start talking, the Romanians are in for a bad upcoming year. However, if the pets don’t say a word, good luck awaits the Romanians in the next 12 months.

Save the best for last!

The Thai people have a very unique way of celebrating the New Year. Songkran, which is similar to our New Year, is celebrated in the middle of April (when the temperatures in Thailand are upwards of more than 37 degrees!), the festivities take several days and are truly spectacular! There’s an unprecedented water fight in the middle of the city. The streets are flooded with water guns, swimming pools and water balloons. Almost everyone takes part in the water fight and no one, not even the scooter passing by, makes it out dry!

Why water? The tradition is based on a Buddhist custom of “cleansing” all the bad away. In the past, monks and older family members would pour water on each other as a sign of respect. However, over time, this spectacular ritual has changed into something a lot more entertaining! 

Wishing you all the best in the New Year! Hope you stay with us! The WOLIP team