While we may all have our family traditions and special foods to eat to bring in the New Year, these are atop of the list for unusual New Year traditions. Have you ever heard of any of these?
Red underwear, Turkey: What better way to bring luck to your loved ones than by wearing red underneath your New Year’s party outfit? The practice is especially popular in Turkey, where stalls selling red lingerie appear over the festive period and sell out fast.
Mass kissing, Venice: St Mark’s Square in Venice 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.
Bear dances, Romania: Some Romanians celebrate new year by donning bear costumes and furs, and dancing from house to house, in an attempt 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”. A lawsuit from an animal-rights group meant a fake possum has been used in previous years, but reports from this year state that a live creature will be used to see in 2016.
Graveyard camp, Chile: Locals in Talca, 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.
Cold swimming, UK: More than 1,500 people braved the icy water last year in Saundersfoot, Wales, to raise money in a charity swim – and some might even say the cold is perfect for curing a New Year’s Eve hangover. The “Loony Dook” – a traditional New Year’s Day swim – also takes place in the Firth of Forth in Scotland.
Gina Olson 