7 Things Which Bangalore Will Never See On A New Year’s Eve

You will get to see many new year parties in Bangalore, but there will be so much happening in the world which Bangalore might not get a feel of because of obvious reasons. It’s still fun to read and know what traditions and customs are being followed in other parts of the world.

1. Takanakuy Festival (Peru)

Isn’t it always better to bury the hatchet and start the new year on a positive and friendly note, even if it takes a fist fight to do so? Takanakuy festival is all about that, where people engage themselves in customary fist fights and settle all past differences.  

2. Scarecrow Burning (Ecuador)

The people from Ecuador have a tradition where they burn scarecrows filled with paper at midnight. Not only that, the residents of the country also burn last year photographs, as it is believed that this will bring in good fortune and prosperity.

3. Dance Around in a Bear Costume (Romania)

One would generally associate dancing around in a bear costume with Halloween, but according to an old rural Romanian tradition, imitating bears by wearing costumes and running around in the neighborhood chases away evil spirits. How cool this would have been if we could do it in Bangalore.

4. A day with fireballs (Scotland)

Unlike most of the places which celebrate New Years for just a day, the Scots do it for multiple days and the crazy way in which they do it. Tracing their roots with the great Vikings, the Scots have arguably the most dangerous celebration ever which looks to be on another level if compared to the New Year parties in Bangalore. They create balls from paper and wire and set them on fire before launching them all over the place.

5. Effigy Burning (Panama)

Generally burning effigies of celebrities and popular people is seen as a sign of protest, but not in Panama. To ward off bad luck, the locals burn effigies of all famous and popular people of the country. As per their tradition, this brings in good luck.

6. Make some noise (Phillippines)

Most of the New Year traditions and customs are related to shoo away all bad luck and evil spirits and bring in fortune and positivity, this one is no different either. People in the Philippines gather together to make as much noise as possible in every which way, to scare the evil spirits. They burst crackers, clang pans, and pots together and do multiple other noisy activities going into the new year.

7. Throw it out (Italy)

Imagine walking around in your society or down the road at midnight during New Year’s Eve and all of a sudden people start throwing furniture from the windows, sound quite strange, but not in Italy. The Italians do this act to symbolize throwing away the old and bringing in the new. This started in Italy but has now spread to South Africa as well.