Discover New Year’s Eve traditions in Türkiye, around the world

New Year’s Eve is a time of celebration, reflection, and anticipation. Across the globe, people mark this special occasion with unique customs rooted in history, culture and the influences of intercultural societies.

In Türkiye, celebrations blend modern festivities with longstanding New Year’s Eve traditions, deeply rooted in culture and symbolism.

While the whole world celebrates the same day, New Year’s Eve traditions reflect unique ways of embracing a fresh start, shaped by cultural differences.

New Year’s Eve in Türkiye: Traditions and festivities

Although celebrating New Year’s Eve became popular in Türkiye in the 20th century, the country has embraced it with a unique flair and has even established some New Year’s Eve traditions.

Urban and multicultural areas, especially Istanbul, light up with festive decorations, including illuminated streets, New Year’s trees, and celebratory displays.

Families and friends gather for festive meals filled with a variety of traditional dishes. These often include meze platters, stuffed vegetables, and rich desserts like baklava, which symbolizes joy and abundance. Meals are designed to bring loved ones together and reflect the spirit of sharing and celebration.

Symbolic New Year’s eve traditions in Türkiye

1. Smashing pomegranates: A unique tradition in Türkiye involves smashing a pomegranate in front of the house or hanging one above the door. This practice is believed to bring prosperity and abundance in the coming year. The seeds of the pomegranate represent wealth and fertility.
2. Sprinkling salt: Sprinkling salt on the doorstep at midnight symbolizes peace and good fortune for the household. This simple yet meaningful act stems from the belief that salt protects the home from negativity.
3. Turning on faucets and unlocking padlocks: At the stroke of midnight, turning on a faucet or unlocking a padlock is thought to open paths to abundance and opportunities in the new year.

Popular customs embraced by modern Türkiye

• Milli Piyango lottery: The national lottery, known as Milli Piyango, is one of the most anticipated aspects of New Year’s Eve in Türkiye. Millions of people purchase tickets, hoping to start the year as millionaires. The drawing is broadcast live and adds excitement to the evening.
• Wearing red: Wearing red on New Year’s Eve is believed to attract love and good luck. Red underwear, in particular, is considered a token of fortune. Shops prominently display red garments during the festive season, encouraging this tradition.

Households in Türkiye celebrate New Year’s Eve with traditional dishes that bring families together. A typical feast includes:

• Classic Turkish stews and rice: Rich and flavorful dishes such as lamb stew or vegetable casseroles are commonly paired with rice made with butter and spices.
• Meze: A variety of small dishes, including dips like hummus and eggplant salad, along with stuffed grape leaves, are served to complement the meal.
• Baklava: This iconic dessert, made with layers of phyllo dough, nuts, and syrup, symbolizes joy and abundance.
• Seasonal fruits and nuts: Pomegranates, oranges, and an assortment of nuts often appear as part of the celebratory table.

For entertainment, many families play Bingo, known locally as Tombala, a game that has become synonymous with New Year’s Eve traditions in Türkiye. Others gather to watch special television programs and countdown shows.

Unique New Year’s traditions around the world

While Türkiye has several interesting and fun New Year’s Eve traditions, other countries offer equally fascinating practices to mark the new year.

How European countries welcome the New Year with unique practices

1. Spain: Spaniards eat 12 grapes at midnight, one for each chime of the clock. This ritual is thought to bring good fortune and began in the 19th century during a surplus grape harvest. Families gather around their televisions or in town squares to time their grape-eating perfectly with the clock’s strikes. Missing a chime is believed to bring bad luck.
2. Scotland: Scotland’s Hogmanay celebrations feature “first-footing”. The first visitor after midnight is thought to bring luck. A dark-haired male carrying symbolic items like coal, whisky or bread is especially welcome. Communities also sing “Auld Lang Syne,” a song reflecting on friendships and memories.
3. Denmark: In Denmark, people leap into the new year by jumping off chairs at midnight, symbolizing a fresh start. Danes also smash plates against the doors of friends and family, believing that the more broken pieces at your doorstep, the luckier you will be in the coming year.
4. Germany: Germans practice “Bleigiessen”, where molten lead is poured into cold water, and the resulting shapes are interpreted as predictions for the future. For example, a heart might signify love, while a ship could indicate travel. This tradition is often accompanied by hearty meals and gatherings.
5. Greece: Greeks hang onions on their doors as a symbol of rebirth and growth. On New Year’s Day, parents wake their children by tapping them with the onions to pass on health and vitality. Another cherished tradition is the cutting of the “vasilopita”, a New Year’s cake containing a hidden coin. Whoever finds the coin is said to have good luck for the year.

Asian countries’ New Year’s Eve traditions

6. Japan: In Japan, Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times in a ceremony called “Joya no Kane”. Each chime is believed to cleanse one of the 108 earthly desires that cause suffering. Families visit temples to pray and exchange old lucky charms for new ones. Traditional New Year’s foods, like “osechi ryori”, are served in lacquer boxes to bring prosperity.
7. Philippines: Filipinos focus on round objects during New Year’s celebrations, associating them with coins and wealth. Families display 12 round fruits on their tables to represent each month of the year. Many also wear polka-dotted clothing to attract abundance.

Unique New Year’s Eve traditions across Americas

8. Brazil: Brazilians celebrate on beaches dressed in white to symbolize peace and renewal. At midnight, they jump over 7 ocean waves, making a wish with each leap. Many also offer flowers and candles to Yemanja, the Afro-Brazilian goddess of the sea, seeking her blessings.
9. Mexico: Mexicans hoping for a year full of travel carry empty suitcases around their homes or take a lap around the block. This whimsical tradition is believed to attract exciting journeys. Families also enjoy vibrant feasts and fireworks displays.
10. Cuba: In Cuba, people cleanse their homes by throwing buckets of water outside to rid them of negativity. Houses are thoroughly cleaned beforehand, and the act of tossing water symbolizes starting the new year with a clean slate.

Unique African New Year’s Eve traditions and celebrations

11. South Africa: In Johannesburg, some residents mark the new year by throwing old furniture or appliances out of windows. This dramatic gesture signifies letting go of the past and embracing the future with optimism.

Additional global New Year’s Eve traditions celebrating diversity

12. Russia: Russians write down their wishes for the new year, burn the paper, and mix the ashes into a glass of champagne. They drink the mixture at midnight, believing it helps their wishes come true.
13. Italy: Italians wear red underwear to attract luck and love. In some regions, they throw old belongings out of windows, symbolizing making room for new opportunities. Traditional meals, such as lentils and pork, are enjoyed to signify prosperity.
14. Estonia: Estonians eat seven, nine, or twelve meals on New Year’s Eve, believing that each meal grants additional strength and luck. Leftovers are often left out for ancestral spirits.
15. Ireland: Families in Ireland bang pots and pans at midnight to drive away evil spirits and invite good fortune. An extra place is set at the table to honor loved ones who have passed away, keeping their memory alive.

Though customs vary, the essence of New Year’s Eve traditions remain universal: a time to reflect on the past and embrace the future with hope and joy.

Whether smashing pomegranates in Türkiye, eating grapes in Spain, or leaping waves in Brazil, each tradition adds its own unique touch to the collective celebration of New Year’s Eve traditions.