In the United States, people all over the country watch the ball drop in Times Square, New York City. Interesting to know, the tradition started on New Year’s Eve 1908 when Adolph Ochs, owner of the New York Times, introduced the event to highlight the Times’ new headquarters.

How do other countries ring in the new year?

In Spain, they eat a grape with each strike of the clock at midnight.

In Japan, they eat a bowl of soba noodles. The tradition dates back to the 12th century when Buddhist monks would give out noodles to the poor.

In India, they build and burn a wooden sculpture of an old man to symbolize the letting go of grievances from the previous year and making room for the new year to be born.

In Denmark, you throw plates at your loved one’s door step. The more broken plates you have, the better your new year will be.

In Greece, it is tradition to hang an onion outside your door to symbolize fertility and growth.

In Columbia, you place three potatoes under the bed. One potato is peeled, one is unpeeled and the third is half peeled. At the stroke of midnight, with eyes closed, each person grabs a potato. Depending upon the potato, they will be in store for a year of good fortune, financial struggle or a combination of the two.

In Ireland, people bang loaves of Christmas bread against the walls and doors to ward off evil spirits.

In Italy, folks welcome the new year by wearing red undergarments.

In England, friends and family gather to listen to the bells of Big Ben to strike midnight.

Latest News

CARB WITHDRAWS WAIVER REQUEST

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) withdrew its request with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a waiver to implement its Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) rule. ACF had been "on hold" for the past year because CARB realized in November 2023 they did not...

GUNG HEI FAT CHOI

Happy Chinese New Year and welcome to the Year of the Snake, more specifically, the Wood Snake. You can see your horoscope for the New Year here. In the meantime, some interesting facts about Chinese New Year. More fireworks are set off on Chinese New Year Eve than...

STRIKE AVERTED

The International Longshore Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) came to a tentative agreement on January 8th, before the January 15th deadline. The agreement staved off a waterfront strike that would have stopped the flow of goods on the...

CLEANER AIR

Despite an uptick in economic activity, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States dropped for the second year in a row. Traditionally, the two benchmarks rise together. This divergence demonstrates the push towards natural gas and renewable diesel is...

WASTED TIME

The cost of congestion on the nation's highways represented $108.8B to the truck industry in 2022. In California alone, the cost of congestion was a whopping $8.77B. That equates to about $8,000/truck. Additionally, it is akin to removing 22% of truck capacity from...

Share This