- In the Philippines wearing polka dots and eating round fruits is supposed to ensure a prosperous new year
- In Denmark unused dishes and plates are saved until Dec 31st when they are affectionately shattered against the doors of friends and family
- In Ecuador New Year is celebrated by burning paper-filled scarecrows at midnight
- In Spain if you can manage to stuff 12 grapes in your mouth at midnight you’ve achieved good luck for the next year
- In Japan bells are rung 108 times in alignment with the Buddhist belief that this brings “cleanness”
- In Chile families spend the night in the company of their deceased loved ones by sleeping at the cemetery
- In Finland people predict the coming year by casting molten tin into a bucket of water and interpreting the resulting shape
- In Colombia folks carry suitcases around with them all day in hopes of a travel filled year
- In Estonia it is the custom to eat seven times on New Year’s Day to ensure abundance in the new year
- In China people paint front doors red to symbolize happiness and good fortune
- In Austria people feast on suckling pig and give gifts of marzipan or chocolate pigs symbolizing good luck
- In Singapore wishes written on white “wishing spheres” are released into the river
