When I was thirteen years old, a friend gave me a brand new set of tarot cards. My happiness only lasted a few hours before my dad got home from work and threw them away. His only explanation about why he did it was I should not believe in superstition.

Although I never let my dad see me follow any superstition after that day, I could not help but think about how much fun some of them are, so much so that they became traditions.

Here are a few fun and weird New Year’s Eve traditions from around the world:

In Columbia people wear red underwear for love or yellow for money backwards, but by midnight, they have to be put on right.

• They say to throw a glass full of water away from your home and all your tears and pain will go away with it.
• Eat 12 grapes by midnight and ask for a wish while eating each one.

In Philippines, they say to put 12 round fruits on the dinner table for prosperity throughout the year.

• Never serve chicken on New Year’s Eve, because chicken symbolizes poverty.
• Wear polka dots for prosperity.
• Turn on all the lights in your house to drive away evil spirits.

In Ecuador, they make a doll to burn. It signifies the burning away of the old year and the welcoming of the new one. Men dress up in drag and pretend to be the “widow” of the doll and beg for coins in the streets to help pay for the funeral costs.

In the Southern US, people eat black-eyed peas and a cooked green leafy veggie for dinner. The peas represent coins and the veggie represents cash.

In Brazil:

• Eat 7 grapes for good luck.
• Wear white to have a year full of peace and to scare away bad spirits.
• Wear yellow and your year will be filled with money and wealth.
• Pink – Happiness and Love.
• Red – A year full of passion.
• Blue – Peace of mind.
• Green – Your year will be well balanced.
• Orange brings success and money.

In Turkey, women wear red underwear for good luck. Also, they believe that it’s how you enter into the New Year, that’s how your whole year is going to be, for example: if you are spending your New Year’s Eve with friends and having fun, you’ll be surrounded with friends and have fun all year long.

In Chile, they say you should sweep your house inside out to remove bad energy and eat a spoonful of lentils at midnight for a year filled with work and money.

In Russia, write down a wish on a piece of paper, burn it, throw it into a champagne glass, and drink it before 12:01.

And in my house, we wear new clothes so the old rags and problems wouldn’t follow us into the New Year and on New Year’s Day we always read a new book with our children.

There you have it… crazy and fun. Hey, who knows, some of them might actually work!

Either way, I wish you a  Happy and Prosperous New Year!

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