Results: This is my last survey of the 2025 year. Happy New Year to all who celebrate it on January 1st. Not everybody uses January 1st as the start of the new year however. This survey is about New Years customs from here and there.
New Year Eve (or Hogmanay as the Scots call it) is as big if not bigger a celebration than Christmas. We are not alone in this. Some of these events can be quite spectacular and some are quite strange. I hope you find this interesting.
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1.
Here are some facts about the Scottish New Year celebrations. Which do you find interesting.
Edinburgh Hogmanay Festival: Originally an informal street party focused on the Tron Kirk in the High Street of the Old Town, since 1993 it has been officially organized and moved to Princes Street (see photo) where there is much more room. Such is the fame of this street party that CNN now broadcasts it live and it rivals the celebrations in Time Square NYC (and without the need for the huge contingent of security personnel) .
30%
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535 votes
A cannon is fired from Edinburgh Castle on a rock above the city at the stroke of midnight, followed by a large fireworks display. New Year's Eve is celebrated with several different customs, such as First-Footing, which involves friends or family members going to each other's houses with a gift of whisky and sometimes a lump of coal (few people are able to actually burn the coal these days as the city is now very eco friendly)..
40%
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712 votes
Highlighted as "One of the 'Top 100 things to do before you die"' and recently the only festival to appear in the 'Discovery Channel – Top 25 World Travel Experiences', Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party is one of the world's greatest New Year celebrations.
29%
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514 votes
Only COVID, SARS and extremely bad weather events have cancelled this event in the past 50 years.
19%
•
335 votes
Not Interested
36%
•
656 votes
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Strange New Year's traditions worldwide involve symbolic actions for luck, like eating 12 grapes in Spain at midnight, jumping off chairs in Denmark, wearing specific coloured underwear in Latin America (red for love, yellow for money), carrying an empty suitcase in Colombia for travel, and burning scarecrows in Ecuador to discard the old year, reflecting universal desires for good fortune and fresh starts in unique cultural ways. Which of the following do you find interesting or even amusing?
Chile: Families spend New Year's Eve sleeping in cemeteries with deceased loved ones.
29%
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530 votes
Philippines: Eat round foods and wear polka dots to symbolize coins and prosperity.
27%
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482 votes
Denmark: Smash old plates on a neighbours' door.
27%
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483 votes
Croatia/Germany: Eat pork or lentils for wealth; avoid backwards-moving foods like crab.
21%
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377 votes
Greece: Hang onions on doors to symbolize new growth and smash pomegranates for luck
23%
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407 votes
Here is one that makes sense to me: On the first day of the year, citizens are encouraged not to work, as that is considered bad luck. It is also bad luck to start off the year doing laundry, or a family member may be washed away.
31%
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556 votes
Not Interested
37%
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665 votes
- Watching the Rose Parade
- Traditional foods of our homeland.
- Stay home
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