New Year's Traditions Around the World: From Burning Effigies in Ecuador to Talking to Livestock in Romania.

According to ТСН: In anticipation of the holidays, experts have gathered interesting New Year's traditions from various countries. This list includes customs that many people are not even aware of - from ritual bells in Japan to round fruits in the Philippines.

Some of these traditions have a centuries-old history, while others have appeared relatively recently. All of them reflect the desire to leave the past behind and greet the new year 'with a clean slate'.

New Year's Traditions from Around the World

In Ecuador, at midnight on New Year's Eve, effigies stuffed with paper are burned, symbolizing the events and characters of the past year - from politicians to pop culture stars. This custom, known as

año viejo

In Denmark, at the end of the year, it is customary to break old plates, which are thrown at the doors of friends and relatives. The more shards remain outside the home, the more luck and loyal people the hosts will have, according to superstition.

In Japan, the New Year is welcomed in the silence of temples. Buddhist bells ring 108 times - symbolizing the number of human passions from which people are symbolically cleansed before the new cycle of life.

In the Philippines, the shape of items plays an important role: round objects and fruits, as well as polka dot clothing, should attract money and prosperity. Special emphasis is placed on the number 12 - it is advised to eat twelve round fruits at midnight to ensure that every month of the year is happy.

In some regions of Italy, the New Year is associated with radical 'decluttering'. People throw old things and even furniture off their balconies, although for safety reasons, they usually limit this to small items.

In South American countries like Mexico, Bolivia, and Brazil, New Year's underwear carries significant importance. The color red is associated with love, white represents peace, yellow signifies luck, and green is linked to wealth. It is important that the underwear is new.

In Argentina, on December 31, the streets turn into a paper carnival feast: old documents and reports are shredded and thrown out of windows, symbolically bidding farewell to the past year.

In Romania, farmers try to talk to their livestock on New Year's Day, believing that the animal's response predicts a happy year. For added protection against evil spirits, they dance in bear costumes.

These traditions show that the holiday season can be interesting and unusual, opening new horizons for celebration.