(Dan Tri) – People from around the world have their own unique ways to welcome the new year, but they share the same wishes for health, luck, and prosperity for the coming year.

A person waits to welcome the new year 2020 in Times Square, New York, USA.

Eat 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve

This tradition originated in Spain and is now practiced in Central and South America, from Mexico to Cuba.

Choose lucky underwear

In Central and South American countries, such as Brazil and Ecuador, the color of underwear worn on New Year’s Day is considered a factor that brings luck for the following year.

Eat lentils

Lentils (Photo: MNT)

Italians often cook lentils with sausage or pork dishes on New Year’s Day to pray for a good harvest in the new year.

Running around with an empty suitcase

This is a Colombian and Ecuadorian tradition to wish for a new year of traveling a lot.

Smash the bread against the wall

Irish people have a habit of smashing bread against the wall to ward off evil spirits and wish for many good things to come in the new year.

Blow away the effigy containing last year’s bad luck

In Central and South America, people in Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador often have the habit of using an effigy called Año Viejo to symbolize the bad luck of the old year and then attaching fireworks to the effigy or burning this object to ward off bad luck.

Eat special soba noodles

Japanese Soba noodles (Photo: SCMP)

In Japan, people here will cook toshikoshi soba noodles on New Year’s Eve.

Eat the cake with the coin inside

In some European countries, when baking cakes, people often put coins inside to mean good luck.

Eat anything round or coin shaped

In Denmark and Norway, people will eat Kransekage, which are concentric circular cakes stacked on top of each other.

Pomegranate with round shape and many seeds is a favorite dish of Armenians, Brazilians and Jewish communities.

In the Philippines, people will eat 12 round fruits, each symbolizing a month of luck and prosperity.

Melt tin to see your future destiny

In Finland, Germany, and Austria, some people have a habit of melting tin, pouring it into cold water, and observing the shape created to predict the future.

Make noise

Japan has a tradition of Buddhism called Joya no kane.

In Croatia, people go out on the streets dragging metal plates on New Year’s Eve to make noise to welcome the new year.

Croatians celebrate the new year (Photo: Xinhua News Agency)

Wear polka dots

In the Philippines, polka dots are considered items that bring luck to the wearer.

Lord Emperor

According to SCMP