From great balls of fire, to possums, grape-eating and animal whispering, we reveal the world’s weirdest New Year customs.
Great balls of fire, Scotland
In Stonehaven, Scotland, there is a custom of parading through the streets on New Year’s Eve while swinging blazing balls of fire around.
The tradition is part of Scotland’s Hogmanay celebrations, although its roots trace back to the Vikings.
Graveyard camp, Chile
Locals inTalca, central Chile, like to see in the new year in the company of their dead relatives. Thought to have begun when a family broke in one year to be near their dead father, the town mayor now opens the graveyard after late-night mass and thousands sit surrounded by candles while classical music plays.
Animal whispering, Romania
Farmers try to hear their animals talk in a ritual which, if successful, signifies not just a Doctor Dolittle gift for communicating with our furry relatives but good luck for the coming year.
Mass kissing, Venice
St Mark’s Square is known for holding not only a big firework display over the Basin of St. Mark but for something far more unusual, a mass kiss-in in the piazza.
Throwing furniture, South Africa
Look out below! It’s the idea of starting the new year afresh that leads residents of Johannesburg, those in Hillsboro in particular, to throw old furniture out of their windows. Italians follow a similar tradition and, not wanting to be lumbered with anything unwanted, conduct an early spring clean by way of their windows.
Underwater tree planting, Siberia
This is the Siberian custom of cutting a hole in the ice covering Lake Baikal and diving to the lake’s bottom while carrying a New Year’s tree. Note: only professional divers participate.
Bear dances, Romania
People wanting to celebrate new year in Romania put on bear costumes and furs and dance at different houses to keep evil at bay.
Possum-dropping, America
In the town of Brasstown, North Carolina, a possum in a transparent box is lowered over a noisy crowd, in the world’s only known “possum-drop”. It reflects Brasstown’s claim to be “the possum capital of the world”.
Grape eating, Spain
Revellers seeing in the new year in Spain have their mouths full when they try to stuff twelve grapes in - one for each chime of the clock during the countdown.
Having a ball, New York
In cities around the world, from Sydney to Amsterdam, the first seconds of the new year are marked by fireworks. But dropping a ball on New Year’s Eve is a wholly American tradition to count down the last fleeting moments.
The first ball dropped at midnight on New Year’s Eve remains the most famous: the one on top of One Times Square in New York City.
At this New Year’s Eve party, ’you shut up’
Here comes 2014! Three! … Two! … Mum.
While hundreds of thousands of revelers cheer, shout and yell in the new year in Times Square, hundreds of New Yorkers will gather not far away to pass the waning hours of 2013 without a word.
2013即將過去，2014馬上到來。辭舊迎新少不了慶祝。從火球到接吻，從扔家具到吃葡萄，從西伯利亞到時代廣場，讓我們看看世界各地都有怎樣的奇風異俗慶祝新年。
***蘇格蘭：大火球
蘇格蘭斯通黑文有個風俗，人們要在12月31日晚上手中揮舞著熊熊燃燒的火球走街串巷。這是蘇格蘭新年慶祝的傳統之一，最早可追溯到維京人的文化。
***智利：墓地露營
在智利中部的塔爾卡鎮，人們喜歡在墓地里和去世的親屬們共同慶祝新年的到來。鎮長已經宣布開放墳地，民眾深夜祈禱之后就可以前去和父輩們共迎新年。屆時，當地人會點起蠟燭，播放古典音樂，期望陰陽兩界人共同見證奇妙的時刻。
***羅馬尼亞：聽動物說話
羅馬尼亞農民慶祝新年的方式十分特別。他們要努力聽取自家飼養動物“說話”，如果真的弄明白其中的含義，新年就會有好運。
***威尼斯：集體接吻
新年來臨之際，威尼斯居民不僅會在圣馬可廣場燃放煙花，也會聚集在那里集體接吻，讓新年更加“有愛”。
***南非：扔家具
樓下的人小心了，約翰內斯堡人會在新年之際把舊家具從窗戶里扔出去。在意大利也有這個風俗，不喜歡的家具就要扔掉，不想留在屋子里礙事，就當大掃除了。
***西伯利亞：水下植樹
冰天雪地的西伯利亞有水下植樹慶祝新年的風俗。當地人先在貝爾加湖冰面上鑿一個洞，再帶上一棵樹游到水底種下去。這個風俗受益于于得天獨厚的自然環境，當然，只有專業潛水員才能下水種樹哦。
***羅馬尼亞：舞熊
慶祝新年，中國有舞獅、舞龍，羅馬尼亞會舞熊。羅馬尼亞人穿上毛茸茸的制服，戴上熊頭到各家跳舞。據說舞熊有驅邪功效。
***美國：放負鼠
在北卡羅來納州布拉斯頓鎮，人們有“放負鼠”慶新年的風俗。當地人把負鼠裝在透明的盒子里，在喧鬧的人群頭頂上慢慢放下，這就是“放負鼠”。布拉斯頓自稱“世界負鼠之都”。
***西班牙：吃葡萄
當凌晨12點新年鐘聲敲響的時候，西班牙人會隨著鐘聲吃葡萄。每一次鐘聲就代表一顆葡萄。12次鐘聲過后，新年到來，人們嘴里也滿滿的塞了12個葡萄。
***紐約：新年水晶球
紐約時報廣場每年都有新年水晶球倒數計時慶祝新年。12月31日晚上11點59分，水晶球會從20多米高處緩緩下降，上面還會顯示數字，帶領人群一起完成新年倒數。最早的水晶球1908年首次面世，有300多公斤重，上面安裝有100個25瓦的電燈。
***紐約：沉默瑜伽
也有一些紐約人拒絕熱鬧，在瑜伽館里用沉默慶祝新年。他們不必應付社交，不帶禮物，不喝酒也不花錢，唯一的要求就是閉上嘴巴，坐下來在沉默中冥思。直到午夜時分，新年到來，人們才用梵語祈福。僅僅5公里之外，就是喧囂的時報廣場。
