Visits to the cemetery and fights: strange New Year's customs of other countries (9 photos)

The world is huge and each people inhabiting it has its own rules and foundations that have developed over centuries. Often their origins begin due to the peculiarities of life in a particular region, and then they are so tightly woven into everyday life that they remain simply a tribute to their ancestors.





Some of these traditions may cause confusion or laughter. But some are quite cute and touching. You might even want to borrow some of them and include them in the New Year celebrations.

Mass fights in Peru



In the province of Chumbivilcas there is one unusual and traumatic tradition. The Takanakui festival takes place there, during which participants start fights among themselves. Locals are sure that in this way they can leave behind all the grievances of the past year. Moreover, the judge watches the fights and he can stop the fight at any time, but in general, the winner is the one who knocked out the opponent. Then the defeated one gets up and they hug the winner.



And if you think that only strong men take part in this, then no - old men, children, and women are also not averse to testing the strength of their blow.

An important dream in Japan



The Japanese are known to take symbols, dreams and omens very seriously. In particular, they are very attentive to sleep on the night of January 1 to 2, which is called Hatsuyume. It is generally believed that if a person dreams of a hawk, an eggplant and a mountain, then the coming year will be good. Because Fuji is the highest mountain, hawks are strong and smart, and eggplant is pronounced "nasu" in Japanese. The phrase “to achieve something great” is also meant.

Bali ban



New Year in Bali begins on the new moon and each time the date of the year changes due to a different calendar. But there is one New Year’s tradition that everyone, even tourists, must strictly observe. There is even a patrol walking the streets and monitoring this tradition.

On this day you cannot use electricity, leave the house and have noisy fun. New Year is the most important holiday for the locals and preparations for it take several days. Carnivals, prayers, figures of various monsters are carried through the streets and driven away with screams. And on the main day, which is called Nyepi, everyone sits at home, does not make noise, does not light lights and does not have fun, because it is believed that on this day evil spirits walk around the island and if they see that the island is empty, they will leave it forever.

Culinary delights of Germany



This country is famous for its baked goods and before the New Year, Germans especially like to buy donuts. And according to tradition, among the sweet donuts there is one with mustard. And this omen is not very good - such a donut promises a bad year.

Visit to a cemetery in Chile



In the city of Talka, all its residents gather not in the main square, but in the local cemetery. Taking goodies and drinks with them, they come there, decorate the graves, and light candles. By the way, this tradition is very young - it began in the 1980s, when one local family decided to celebrate the New Year at the grave of a loved one who worked at this cemetery. Everyone found this idea interesting and now everyone unites with their deceased ancestors on the main night of the year.

Austrian horror stories



Saint Nicholas comes to the children of Austria on January 5th. Those kids who behaved well all last year receive gifts from him. But naughty children are in the department of the assistant of St. Nicholas Krampus. This is the devil who puts coal under the pillows of children, and he puts especially capricious ones in a bag and takes them to his cave to eat. In a number of cities in Austria, there are even Krampus parades, when people dress up, put on masks and walk through the streets.

Accidental enrichment in Spain



On December 22, city streets are empty because most residents gather at home in front of their televisions. It is on this day that the Christmas auction takes place.a herery that dates back to 1812. This event is one of the most anticipated in Spain. The prize fund is approximately 2 billion euros.