When the clock strikes twelve and the new year begins, cultures around the world mark the moment with playful rituals, symbolic gestures, and unforgettable celebrations.
Whether you’re travelling, celebrating at home, or simply looking to borrow a new custom, these six midnight traditions offer a blend of fun, culture and good-luck lore to help you ring in 2026 with flair.
Spain
What happens: On New Year’s Eve in Spain, the streets are full of people clutching a small bunch of grapes. It is customary to eat 12 grapes, one for each stroke of the midnight bell, to bring in good luck in the year ahead.
How to join: Head to Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, where the crowd gathers with grape bunches in hand and cheers echo through the plaza.
To join the cheerfully chaotic vibes this year, snag a spot early with a view of the clock face, bring grapes (or buy them nearby), and go all-in when the last few seconds tick.
Denmark
What happens: In Denmark, New Year’s Eve brings noise, laughter and broken ceramics.
Many Danish people still leave piles of shattered plates outside friends’ doors to symbolize lasting friendship and luck.
How to join: If you’re celebrating in Copenhagen or a smaller town, ask a local host about joining in. Some people save old plates for weeks just for this moment. The bigger the pile, the more good fortune; just confirm before you start tossing crockeries!
You can also opt for a gentler version by writing down your past regrets or worries on paper plates, breaking them safely outside, and letting the fragments symbolize new beginnings.
Brazil
What happens: Along Brazil’s coastline, millions gather dressed in white to honour Iemanjá, the goddess of the sea. As fireworks light up the sky, people toss white flowers into the surf and leap seven waves, whispering a wish with each jump.
How to join: Head to Brazil’s coast, like near Copacabana Beach in Rio, join the midnight ritual barefoot on the sand.
Feel the sand beneath your feet at a legendary beach like Copacabana. Wear white, bring small flowers to offer to the sea goddess Iemanjá, and let the rhythm of the waves and the samba carry you into the new year.
Japan
What happens: In Japan, on New Year’s Eve, parties are replaced by a rhythmic, cleansing shift into the next chapter.
At temples nationwide, the bells are rung 108 times (a custom called Joya no Kane) to dispel the 108 earthly desires in Buddhist thought. Afterwards, families eat Toshikoshi‑soba, long, buckwheat noodles symbolizing longevity and resilience, a “year-crossing” supper.
How to join in: If you are in Tokyo or Kyoto, visit a temple such as Zojo-ji or Chion-in and listen as the bells echo through the crisp winter air. You can also recreate the moment by lighting a candle or softly ringing a bell at midnight, a mindful pause to reset your spirit for the year ahead.
Greece
What happens: If you’re in Greece for New Year’s, you’ll see pomegranates everywhere, hanging at doorways, piled in markets, and ready for smashing at midnight.
It is believed in Greece that bursting the fruit scatters luck and prosperity. The more seeds that spill, the better the year ahead will be.
How to join: As a visitor, buy a ripe pomegranate and ask your host about the podariko tradition, the custom of being the first to enter a home just after midnight, with the right foot first, for luck.
Keep your eye out for the vasilopita cake: whoever finds the hidden coin wins a year of good fortune.
Philippines
What happens: In the Philippines, the key to New Year’s luck is the circle. A symbol of wealth and continuity, the locals wear polka-dot patterns and fill tables with round fruits like grapes and oranges to ring in the new year.
At midnight, many open every window and door to invite in fresh energy and drive away the old year’s spirits.
How to join: Dress in your best polka-dots, decorate with round fruit bowls, and set aside twelve fruits at midnight, one for every lucky month to come. It is an easy way to blend style, superstition, and fun with friends or family.
These traditions may differ in style, sound, and setting, but they share one universal message: every new year deserves to be greeted with hope, gratitude, and a touch of imagination.
Whether you are eating grapes, breaking plates, or jumping waves, let your midnight mischief set the tone for an adventurous 2026!
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This article was first published in Wego.
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