Pigs, grapes, and red panties — that’s how you ring in the New Year in 2020.
Where do I even start?
2020 was a lot.
…in terms of global events in our world — protests, presidential elections, covid — I think we can all name a few. Besides that, I think everyone has experienced some personal highs and lows — feeling connected to everything happening — yet at the same time feeling very disconnected.
It’s also in our human nature to focus on the negative things in our life…but what better way to say goodbye and mark a closing on the lousy chapter of 2020 than to ring in our new year, 2021.
Everyone has a different way of departure from the previous year, but what makes it beautiful is that we are all celebrating for the same purpose.
Without further adieu, let’s tune in on how 5 different people kicked 2020’s ass to begin the journey in the new year to come…
Weirong Li — originally from China, but was born and raised in Hungary.
On Szilveszter, which is the Hungarian name for New Year’s Eve, our family started out at 4 pm by having some friends over at our house, drinking champagne, eating salami, and chatting over some walnut bites. Subsequently, at 6 pm we left our house to arrive at a lake, where we met up with other family friends to light off close to 8 different firework boxes. As we were the ones who were setting off the fireworks, we had the advantage of a fantastic close-up view, however, things got a bit scary after there was a mishap with one firework and it started shooting AT US…
In the end, you could see everyone staring at the fireworks so intensely, not only because it was beautiful, but also for the sake of watching out for our lives — it was definitely a roller coaster ride.
Then at around 7:30 pm we headed to our other Hungarian family friend’s house (the same for Christmas) and had a wonderful traditional New Year’s Eve dinner.
I forgot to take photos of the dinner, but I found some photos online of what we ate.
We first had Lencsefőzelék, which is lentil stew and is thought to bring you good luck and prosperity in the following year to come. On the side, we had roasted pork, which is also associated with good luck, because pigs ‘dig up’ fortune. On the contrary, you shouldn’t eat fish or chicken (any animal that has wings), as they say, your fortune will swim or fly away.
As for dessert, we had a savory cheese stick snack along with a variety of fruits, which I self-interpreted as having the meaning of a fruitful next year.
The photo below was taken after all our eating at 11:59 pm before 2021.
Then, after the new year officially rang in, we celebrated by making some noise with fireworks again, which is meant to ‘scare away’ the evil spirits and bad luck while also announcing and welcoming 2021.
After the fireworks, we went back into the house and had some nice warm Korhelyleves, which is actually a tradition for curing hangovers from the night before. It consists of a lot of sauerkraut, sausage, bacon, and then topped with sour cream. The sourness is thought to soothe the stomach from the fun and feasting from the day before.
Funnily enough, this year’s New Year’s was among the busiest that we have had.
And almost forgetting to mention that we spent the night at our friends' house due to the covid curfew at 8 pm and headed home early next morning at 8 am ;) This was also definitely a first for our family.
Elza Klimova — from Sofia, Bulgaria
She celebrated New Year’s Eve by having a traditional New Year’s Bulgarian dish called Banitsa, some people call it a cheese pie as a translation. The tradition is to write wishes or fortunes on pieces of paper, then roll it up and hide it either inside the Banitsa cake or stick them on top like birthday candles. Then each person chooses a slice of cake with a note to see what kind of fortune they will have for the next year. Examples of what you can get from the notes include things like health, love, traveling, new house, new car, new baby, marriage, etc. It is believed that whatever you get from the Banitsa, you will carry with you and have it fulfilled in the new year.
In the second photo, the reading goes, that the person will find happiness, love, and understanding from a new friendship.
King Adebayo — from Nigeria
He celebrated by making a special Nigerian dish called, Yam and Egg Stew, but he changed it up by using potatoes as a substitute for the yams.
Eleni Kapnopoulou — from Thessaloniki, Greece
She celebrated with a traditional Greek New Year’s pie called Vasilopita. It often has a hidden coin, which brings luck in the new year to the person who finds it.
Marianna Barragan Costa — from Zacatecas, Mexico
They have a Mexican tradition, which is also similar to that of Spain (as Mexico was colonized by Spain).
When the clock strikes midnight (exactly at 12), bells start ringing 12 times, during this time you have to eat 12 grapes from a glass of wine with every ring of the bell. At the same time, you have to think of 12 wishes for the new year when you eat each grape. She describes it as a very funny scene, as you can see the kids trying to stuff each grape in their mouth with every bell ring like chipmunks, all the while having to think of their wishes for the new year. This is great multi-tasking if you ask me ;)
Besides this, they also have many superstitions. The tradition says that if you want to find love and settle down, you need to put yourself below a table and stay there for a minute. Likewise, if you want to ‘spice’ up your life with some passion, you should wear red panties. For wealth, you need to put a big bill of money in your left shoe. And last but not least, if you would like to travel in the upcoming year, you need to go around your street’s block with a suitcase.
Do you guys have any superstitions or traditions for New Year’s that you would like to share? Feel free to do so in the comments section below!
Also, do you have a story to share about your own cultural experiences or something you observed from other cultures? Share your story here!
And for any questions, you can gladly reach out to me at joinrawculture@gmail.com !
That was it for today’s blog 😊! Thank you to all that contributed with their traditions! Wishing everyone one of you a new year filled with love, happiness, and prosperity! 2021 you’re going to be great!
