New year: practices that mark them
Fire, first-footing, divination for the year and the clearing of the old.
The new year is a moment for clearing the old and divining the new. Customs include Chinese red envelopes and firecrackers, Nowruz and its haft-sin table in Persian lands, Scottish first-footing and Hogmanay fire, Japanese bell-ringing and hatsumode, the Thai and Burmese water festivals, Rosh Hashanah foods, Diwali in India and the grapes eaten at midnight in Spain. This page looks at how people across the world mark the turning of the year.
Clearing the old
Many cultures clean and settle debts before the year turns. Chinese families clean the house before the festival, and sweeping on the day itself is avoided so luck is not swept away. In Iran, people jump over small fires on the last Wednesday evening of the year. Japan's temples ring 108 bells, which Buddhists link with human worldly desires. Fireworks and noise are widely said to drive off harm. Many families also pay debts and settle quarrels before the day, so the year can start fresh.
Divining the year
The year is read for omens. Scots say the first person to enter after midnight shapes the household's luck, and their gifts and looks are noted. Greek families break a pomegranate. In Mexico and Italy, foods and colours of clothing are chosen for luck in love or money. Astrologers publish forecasts and diviners in Asia and Africa are consulted at this time. Others take a more reflective path: Jewish families hold a period of repentance, and Zoroastrian and Hindu households light lamps and make offerings.
Politics and calendars
Calendars differ, so there are many new years: lunar in East Asia, solar in Persian lands, tied to harvests in India and Southeast Asia. Governments have banned and revived festivals, as in the Soviet and Cultural Revolution campaigns against old customs. Fireworks are now restricted in many Chinese cities for safety and air quality. These local customs vary widely and are often kept by older relatives. Customs also tend to ask for harmony, such as avoiding arguments, keeping the house tidy and visiting elders.
Commerce and caution
Forecasts and lucky charms are a seasonal market. Resolutions have become secular rites of self-improvement. Fireworks, bonfires and drink bring real injuries each year, and a celebration is no reason to skip care. Public celebration of the new year is often marked by a countdown, music, food and shared greeting, and it provides a regular moment of family contact and new resolve in places as different as Seoul, Lagos, Tehran and Buenos Aires, and the date and the customs may differ from one country to the next.
New year on EveryJaadu
The entries written up so far, best known first.
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreYule log
A large wooden log burned in the hearth during winter festivals across Europe and North America.Tradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇯🇵 JapanDaruma doll達磨
A round Japanese talisman that rights itself when knocked overCharm · Luck and prosperity · Power and authority Living
🇱🇻 Latvia and 1 moreLatvian mythology
A collection of myths about gods, spirits, and the afterlife from the Baltic region.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 3 moreDragon's blood
A bright red resin from several plant species used in magic, medicine, and art since antiquitySubstance · Healing · Protection Living
🇮🇩 IndonesiaNyepiᬜᬾᬧᬶ
A Balinese day of total silence, fasting, and self-reflection to mark the new year.Rite · Cleansing and purification · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreShamanism in the Qing dynasty
State-managed rituals of the Manchu rulers and their shamansTradition · Protection · Healing Historical
🇮🇶 Iraq and 1 moreTawûsî Melekتاوسی مەلەک
The central angel of Yazidism, known as the Peacock Angel and leader of the Seven Mysteries.Being · Power and authority · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇯🇵 JapanOkiagari-koboshi起き上がり小法師
A Japanese roly-poly doll that rights itself when knocked overCharm · Luck and prosperity · Power and authority Living
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreMoney tree搖錢樹
A mythical tree of fortune and a Chinese New Year custom for wealthFigure · Luck and prosperity · Power and authority Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Yule log: Pehr Arvid Säve (1811—1887), Public domain, source
- Daruma doll: Crisco 1492, Public domain, source
- Latvian mythology: Dezidor, CC BY 3.0, source
- Dragon's blood: Andy Dingley, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nyepi: Matt Croxson, Public domain, source
- Shamanism in the Qing dynasty: A nineteenth-century team of editors., Public domain, source
- Tawûsî Melek: Bernd Schwabe in Hannover, CC BY 3.0, source
- Okiagari-koboshi: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Money tree: Pratyeka, CC BY-SA 4.0, source