New Year's Eve Facts: 5 Interesting NYE Traditions From Around The World

The festive spirit of Christmas may be coming to an end, but with New Year's Eve right around the corner, the world is warming up to another round of celebrations, to mark the end of a year gone by and kickstart a brand new chapter.

With only a few days left to NYE, New Yorkers are rounding off the to-do list of things to do to make the most of the night, including catching a glimpse of the legendary ball drop at Time Square. When it comes to New York or anywhere across the U.S., there are plenty of things to do on the night, apart from partying, of course. But, in other parts of the world, people celebrate New Year's Eve in multiple fun ways that aren't quite like your idea of the standard celebrations.

So here is a quick list of some weird New Year's Eve traditions you will be overjoyed to learn about:

Italy — Wear red underwear

One would swap calendars in the new year but when in Italy, wearing red underwear is equally important. Wearing red underwear has a positive connotation in Italy when the clock strikes 12 on New Year's Eve, as it symbolizes luck and prosperity for the coming year.

Denmark — Throw plates at your neighbor

In yet another bizarre tradition, this time coming from Denmark, the Danish throw utensils and crockery toward their neighbors' windows. As per a local legend, doing this gesture banishes bad spirits and ushers in good fortune.

Greece — Smash pomegranate

People in Greece associate the fruit with good luck and therefore believe they will be able to unlock fortune by smashing the pomegranate hard.

Japan — Ring the bells

Every New Year's Eve, the Japanese people ring bells at Buddhist temples 108 times because they believe it will cleanse a human being of 108 evil desires and bestow the holy Buddha's blessings on everyone.

Brazil — Throw white flowers into the ocean

In perpetuation of an old tradition, people in Brazil gather around an ocean clad in white ensembles and throw a white flower into the ocean as a token of appeasement to the river goddess Lemanja, who represents womanhood, fertility and family, and is also believed to be the protector of children.