COUNTING TI B
ringing in the New Year is an exciting time because you have another 365 days to work on yourself, pursue your goals, learn new things, and start fresh. People all over the world gather together to celebrate a brand new year in many different and fun ways. Let’s take a look at some fun activities you can do to get in the spirit!
Take your suitcase for a spin around the block In Columbia and Mexico, people carry their empty suitcases around their neighborhood when the clock strikes at midnight on New Year’s Eve in hopes of a travel-filled year. The suitcases represent new adventures and new possibilities. If you don’t want to have your entire block thinking you have lost your mind, another fun alternative is to bring your luggage and walk around your house seven times. Usually taking a suitcase with wheels can help you walk or run around your neighborhood a lot easier. This is lots of fun!
34
Toast at midnight In Spain and in many Latin American countries, eating 12 Grapes at midnight on New Year’s eve is a big tradition that dates back to the 1900s. In downtown Madrid and Barcelona, crowds gather around in the heart of the city to get together and eat their lucky grapes or as they call it, uvas de la suerte. This fruit represents good luck for each month of the coming year and with each grape you can make a new wish. In some countries, the circle is considered to be of good luck and a symbol of prosperity because of its round shape like a coin. In the Philippines, people even wear polka dots and eat any fruit that is round for good luck and grapes seem to be the most common during the New Year’s celebration.