How to Have the Best New Year’s Any Where in the World

Kathleen Corrigan | December 29, 2017

Animal Whispering in Romania

When they’re not dressing up as bears to celebrate the New Year in Romania, they’re talking to them. It’s traditional for farmers to talk to their animals in the hopes that if they talk back to you, you will be granted good fortune in the year to come.

Underwater tree planting in Siberia

In Siberia, people don’t just dive into icy water to celebrate the New Year — they drag an entire tree in with them. Each year, divers jump into Lake Baikal to place, decorate, and dance around a floating underwater Christmas tree.

Graveyard camping in Chile

For many people New Year’s is all about spending time with the ones you love. In Chile, this includes those who have passed on. That’s why in the small town of Talca, residents camp out in the local graveyard on Dec. 31^st, so that they can ring in the New Year with their deceased loved ones.

Chair jumping in Denmark

The Danes believe that one should jump into the New Year with both feet so at the stroke of midnight on Dec 31^st, people in Denmark scramble to stand in the highest spot, usually on a chair or sofa, so that they jump off into the year to come.

Bell ringing in Japan

You’re bound to hear bells ringing all over the world at midnight on New Year’s Eve, but in Japan, the bells in the Buddhist temples peal exactly 108 times to represent the 108 human desires one should try to shed next year.

ApisitTim / Shutterstock

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