Main Curiosities & Traditions to Celebrate the New Year in the Hispanic World
🍇 1. Eating 12 grapes at midnight (Spain & all Latin America)
People eat one grape for each of the 12 clock chimes to bring luck for every month of the coming year — one of the most iconic and widespread traditions.
🧳 2. Walking around with a suitcase (Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama)
Carrying an empty suitcase around the house or block at midnight symbolises a wish for travel and new adventures in the coming year.
🧹 3. Cleaning the house before midnight
Deep cleaning represents “out with the old, in with the new,” clearing away bad energy and inviting good vibes for the new year.
💸 4. Money rituals for prosperity
Common ways to ensure financial luck include:
• Holding coins in your hand at midnight
• Putting money in shoes or pockets
• Keeping cash in the house
All symbolise welcoming wealth for the coming year.
💧 5. Throwing water out the window (Puerto Rico, parts of Latin America)
Throwing a bucket of water outside symbolises washing away negativity from the old year and inviting clean, fresh energy.
🔥 6. Burning “Año Viejo” dolls (Ecuador, Colombia, Panama)
People burn effigies representing the old year, bad memories, or even unpopular public figures, symbolising renewal and the destruction of negativity.
🍲 7. Eating lentils for prosperity (Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil)
Lentils are associated with coins and wealth, so eating them — sometimes even throwing them like confetti — is believed to bring financial success in the new year.
✨ 8. Spiritual cleansing rituals
People burn candles, write worries on paper and burn them, or use herbs like basil or sage for renewal and protection.
💦 9. Water fights & cider wars” (Uruguay)
In Montevideo, people participate in Guerra de Sidra, where revellers spray each other with cider, beer, and water — a wild and joyful way to celebrate renewal.
