NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA

So our final part to this years New Years Celebrations. These are the tradition from North and South America, on the Western side of the Globe.

Costa Rica

They also take part in the eating 12 of grapes which represent 12 wishes for the New Year. Another custom is to run across the street with luggage to bring new trips and adventures in the upcoming year.

Imagine running around with luggage in your street.

“Where you off?”

“Somewhere nice… Hopefully…”

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CHILE

The Chileans like to spend their New Year with the dead. They literally head out to the graveyards and spend the night with those that are no longer with us.

I think that would be very scary! I don’t think I would want to spend my New Years in such a way. Chilean’s are brave people I say.

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ARGENTINA

Argentinians celebrate New Year’s by swimming in rivers and lakes or public pools.

That sounds fun!

“It’s New Year’s guys, fill up the pools.”

Although I don’t think it can be done in Britain. It’s always so damned cold.

ECUADOR

Men in Ecuador dress as women to represent the “widow” of the year that has passed.

You wouldn’t catch me doing that? Honestly though, a drag act? That should be funny.

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There are also fireworks and thousands of life-size dummies representing misfortunes from the past year that are burned in the streets. The scarecrows are made from newspapers and pieces of wood, and at midnight, everyone gather outside their homes to burn the dummies together.

So they do with public figures who have done wrong and what-not and then they burn them. I guess the dummies who have done bad deserve getting burnt. Well in their dummy forms at least.

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 PERU

These guys are just awesome! I think this is where Boxing Day might have originated from.

What they do is… they have fist-fights with neighbours to settle longstanding quarrels.

“It’s the New Year Diego, let’s settles this feud once and for all.”

“Wait there Piero, I’ll go grab my gloves.”

It’s actually a fighting festival that takes place known as Takanakuy. There is singing and dancing as well and the fighting just adds to the fun.

BRAZIL

Brazilians celebrate with style and fashion. They dress in colours to represent different things. They wear white to signify peace and other colours such as green and yellow for health and wealth.

Obviously they have amazing parties in Brazil as well. You can count on that!

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MEXICO

The Mexicans spend the New Year in a similar fashion to their cousins from Spain. 12 Grapes and Red Underwear.

Mexico_City_New_Years

USA

“One of the most prominent celebrations in the country is the “ball drop” held in New York City’s Times Square. Inspired by the time balls that were formally used as a time signal, at 11:59 p.m. ET, an 11,875-pound (5,386 kg), 12-foot (3.7 m) diameter Waterford crystal ball located on the roof of One Times Square is lowered down a pole that is 70 feet high, reaching the roof of the building one minute later to signal the start of the New Year. The Ball Drop has been held since 1907, and in recent years has averaged around a million spectators annually.”

Now that is a cool tradition and it’s been happening for over 100 years. Fascinating! Sorry everybody but I think the USA has won this competition with the ball drop.