Every culture has its own way of welcoming the New Year — and many of those traditions involve some wonderfully strange rituals meant to attract luck, love, money, and yes, travel. Whether you believe in superstitions or not, there’s something magical about the idea that what you do in the first hours of January could shape the rest of your year.
We’ve gathered 12 New Year’s superstitions and traditions from around the globe — each one rooted in a real destination with a story worth experiencing firsthand. Consider this your travel bucket list in disguise.
1. Eat 12 Grapes at Midnight — Spain
One of the most beloved New Year’s traditions in the world takes place in Spain, where at the stroke of midnight, people eat one grape for each chime of the clock — twelve grapes for twelve months of good luck. The grapes must all be eaten before the clock finishes striking, which makes for a frantic and hilarious midnight moment. The tradition is said to have originated in 1909 in Alicante, when grape growers promoted a surplus harvest by connecting it to luck.
In Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, tens of thousands of people gather on New Year’s Eve to participate together — one of the most electrifying New Year’s celebrations in Europe. The energy is infectious, the streets are alive, and the culture is deeply warm and welcoming. Dreaming of experiencing it yourself? A European tour through Spain puts you right in the heart of it.
2. Wear Yellow Underwear — Colombia & South America
In Colombia, Venezuela, and much of Latin America, wearing yellow underwear on New Year’s Eve is said to bring wealth, happiness, and good fortune for the coming year. Yellow represents gold and abundance, and it’s taken seriously — stores sell out of yellow underwear in the weeks before December 31st. Some people also wear red for love or white for peace.
The celebrations in cities like Cartagena, Bogotá, and Medellín are a full sensory experience — fireworks, salsa music, street festivals, and some of the warmest hospitality you’ll find anywhere. South America is one of the most underrated travel destinations on earth. Ready to explore? Check out South America tours to start planning.
3. Toss a Coin Into the Trevi Fountain — Rome, Italy
The Trevi Fountain tradition says that tossing one coin over your left shoulder with your right hand ensures a return trip to Rome. A second coin means you’ll fall in love, and a third promises marriage. While not strictly a New Year’s superstition, many travelers make their Trevi Fountain coin toss on New Year’s Eve as a way of setting intentions for the year — and what better intention than more travel?
Rome at New Year’s is spectacular. The Piazza del Popolo hosts a massive celebration, restaurants serve traditional lentil dishes (lentils represent coins and wealth in Italian culture), and the streets of the Eternal City glow with fireworks. Make your wish a reality with an Italy tour or a Mediterranean cruise that includes Rome.
4. Burn Effigies at Midnight — Ecuador
In Ecuador, one of the most cathartic New Year’s traditions in the world involves building life-size scarecrow figures called “año viejos” (old years) stuffed with sawdust, newspapers, and sometimes fireworks. At midnight, they’re set ablaze in the streets to symbolically burn away the problems of the past year and make way for new beginnings.
The figures often resemble politicians, celebrities, or characters from the past year — it’s equal parts bonfire, political satire, and community catharsis. Cities like Quito and Guayaquil host enormous public burnings. Ecuador is also home to the Galápagos Islands, one of the world’s most extraordinary wildlife destinations. Pair the celebration with adventure on a South America tour featuring Ecuador.
5. Place Coins on Every Windowsill — Scotland
In Scotland, a tradition dating back centuries says you should place loose coins on every windowsill and doorstep before midnight on New Year’s Eve. This is meant to guarantee money flowing into the home throughout the coming year. A similar German custom involves placing a silver coin under the doormat, then bringing it back inside on New Year’s morning.
Scotland’s own New Year’s celebration — Hogmanay — is one of the most legendary in the world. Edinburgh hosts a massive multi-day festival with torchlight processions, street parties, ceilidh dancing, and fireworks over Edinburgh Castle. The Scots take Hogmanay seriously, and visitors are welcomed with extraordinary warmth. Experience Hogmanay in person with a Britain and Ireland tour.
6. First-Footing: The First Guest of the New Year — Scotland & Northern England
Closely tied to Hogmanay is the tradition of “first-footing” — the belief that the first person to enter your home after midnight determines your luck for the year. The ideal first-footer is a tall, dark-haired man (symbolizing health and strength), carrying gifts: coal for warmth, shortbread for food, salt for flavor, and whisky for good cheer. Arriving empty-handed is considered very bad luck.
This tradition is alive and well across Scottish households and is part of what makes Hogmanay such a warm community celebration. Villages and neighborhoods across the Highlands still practice it earnestly. Discover Scotland’s living traditions on a guided Scotland tour.
7. Run Around the Block With a Suitcase — Colombia & Latin America
Want to travel more this year? According to a popular Colombian and Latin American superstition, running around your block with a suitcase at midnight on New Year’s Eve will bring you more trips in the coming year. The faster you run, the more travel luck you attract. Some people take it further — standing on a chair holding a suitcase at midnight, or placing packed luggage outside the front door overnight.
It’s a delightful ritual that captures something universal: the hope that this year, we’ll finally take that trip. If you’re reading this, you’re already thinking about it. Make it real this year — browse tours and cruises and put something on the calendar before the clock strikes midnight.
8. Eat Lentils for Wealth — Italy & Brazil
In Italy, eating lentils on New Year’s is considered essential for financial good luck — their round, coin-like shape symbolizes money. Traditionally, the lentils are eaten with cotechino or zampone sausage. In Brazil, a similar tradition calls for eating lentil soup in the first minutes of the New Year, representing money and prosperity.
In both cultures, the New Year’s meal is a communal affair — tables full of family, long dinners, and celebrations that stretch into the early morning hours. Brazil’s Río Carnival, which takes place just weeks after New Year’s, is one of the greatest spectacles on earth. Combine both experiences with a South America tour featuring Brazil or explore Italy year-round.
9. Don’t Wash Your Hair on New Year’s Day — China
In Chinese culture, washing your hair — or doing any cleaning — on New Year’s Day is considered bad luck, as it risks washing away the good fortune that just arrived. The same applies to sweeping, as you might sweep luck out the door. Cleaning is done intensively in the days before the New Year, symbolically clearing out old energy to make room for the new.
Chinese New Year (which typically falls in late January or February) is celebrated with breathtaking parades, lantern festivals, fireworks, and family reunion dinners across Asia. Hong Kong, Singapore, and Chiang Mai are among the best places in the world to experience it. Celebrate Chinese New Year on location with an Asia tour or Asia cruise.
10. Smash Dishes on Your Neighbor’s Door — Denmark
In Denmark, the New Year’s tradition involves smashing old dishes against the doors of friends and family. The more broken crockery you find on your doorstep on January 1st, the more friends and luck you have — a big pile of shards is considered a sign of being deeply loved. Danes save old plates throughout the year specifically for this purpose.
Denmark is also known for some of Europe’s most thoughtful design, happiest cities, and warmest people. Copenhagen’s New Year’s celebration includes fireworks over the harbor and a royal speech broadcast nationwide. Explore Scandinavia on a Scandinavia tour or a Northern Europe cruise.
11. Jump Into the New Year From a Chair — Denmark & Germany
Another widespread European tradition: at the stroke of midnight, everyone stands on a chair or table and jumps off simultaneously to “jump into the New Year” together. This is especially popular in Germany and Denmark, and symbolizes leaping forward into new possibilities. In Germany, it’s also common to pour molten lead into cold water and interpret the shapes for omens about the coming year — a practice called Bleigießen.
Germany’s New Year’s Eve celebration — called Silvester — is a massive street party, especially in Berlin, where over one million people gather along the Brandenburg Gate for fireworks and music. Ring in the New Year in Berlin on a European tour through Germany.
12. Make a Travel Vision Board Before Midnight
While not a cultural superstition exactly, creating a travel vision board before New Year’s Eve has become a modern ritual for travelers who swear by its power to manifest journeys. The idea: collect images, destinations, and experiences you want to have in the coming year, arrange them visually, and put them somewhere you’ll see every day. The act of visualization creates intention — and intention creates action.
Vision board or not, the best way to make sure you travel more this year is to actually book something. Browse our full collection of tours and cruises and let the new year be the one where the trip finally happens. For more travel inspiration, read our guide on how to plan your dream vacation.
New Year’s Destinations Worth Adding to Your List
Beyond the superstitions, some cities simply know how to celebrate. Here are the top New Year’s Eve destinations our travelers love most:
- Edinburgh, Scotland — Hogmanay is a multi-day festival unlike anything else in Europe. Torchlight processions, ceilidh dances, and fireworks over the castle.
- Sydney, Australia — The world’s first major city to ring in the New Year, with fireworks over Sydney Harbour that set the gold standard globally.
- New York City, USA — Times Square and the iconic ball drop, with 1 million people packed into Midtown Manhattan.
- Reykjavik, Iceland — Bonfires, fireworks, and the Northern Lights overhead. Iceland celebrates with extraordinary abandon — and almost no light pollution outside the city.
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Millions of people in white on Copacabana Beach, floating candles on the ocean, and fireworks over Sugarloaf Mountain.
- Dubai, UAE — The Burj Khalifa fireworks and light show is one of the most technically spectacular New Year’s displays on earth.
Start the Year With a Trip Already Booked
The best New Year’s superstition of all? Booking your next trip before the calendar flips. There’s real psychology behind it: having a trip on the calendar reduces stress, gives you something to look forward to, and makes the ordinary days feel more purposeful.
At The Traveler’s Atlas, we specialize in cruises, guided tours, and group travel to destinations around the world — with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and a team that genuinely loves travel. Whether you’re chasing Hogmanay in Edinburgh, the Trevi Fountain at midnight, or 12 grapes in Madrid, we’ll help make it happen.
Happy New Year — and may this be the year you go.
