New Year’s Eve has just passed and led into the new year. In celebration of another year passed, here are a few common traditions that people participate in on New Year’s Eve.
One of the most iconic NYE traditions is the New York City ball drop. The ball drop is a widely celebrated tradition where people gather around Times Square and wait for midnight to arrive. In the last 10 seconds before the new year, people will count down. As the clock changes from 11:59 to 12:00, the large, bright ball drops from its pole, prompting the crowd to cheer and celebrate the new year.
Another common tradition is to eat 12 grapes under a table to bring good luck and prosperity. This tradition originated in Spain in the late 1800s, and originally went by the name of Las Doce Uvas de la Suerte.
Twelve grapes should be eaten under a table at the stroke of midnight to ensure good fortune in the next year. The reason that people eat 12 grapes under the table is to represent the 12 months of a year, and to represent the 12 chimes of a clock. Specifically, green grapes are eaten to represent good fortune in the new year. Red grapes, on the other hand, are eaten to encourage romance in the future.
Furthermore, a great tradition to participate in is to make New Year’s resolutions. It is common for people to want to improve their lifestyle and change things about themselves. Making healthy resolutions is a great way to start off the new year. By making small goals to work towards is a wonderful tradition to participate in.
There are so many more traditions that get celebrated on NYE, and these are just the three most common ones.