Can you believe it’s that time of the year already? Time flies! It feels like just yesterday we were bidding farewell to 2022, gathering with friends for dinner, counting down and watching the fireworks together. New Year’s is the perfect moment to reflect on what we’ve learned throughout the year. What better way to end the year than by exploring some Mexican traditions around New Year’s Eve and picking up a bit of Spanish along the way?
Wardrobe choices for abundance and love
We kick off this day’s excitement by shopping in search of red or yellow underwear. This tradition has been passed down through generations in Mexican families. According to beliefs, wearing red underwear on New Year’s Eve is an effective way to attract love into your life for the coming year, while yellow is worn to ensure financial stability and invite abundance. Some people even wear both, one on top of the other. Oh, and one more thing! This only works if someone gives them to you as a gift, so you know what to do if you want to ensure your love and money for 2024.
12 grapes, 12 resolutions
Another essential for a Mexican New Year is having a glass filled with 12 grapes. During dinner, there comes a moment when you have to think of 12 resolutions for the coming year. Each grape represents one of these wishes, and by eating them individually, you commit to fulfilling those resolutions.
Some popular resolutions are:
- Exercise all year round / Hacer ejercicio todo el año.
- Invest my money / Invertir mi dinero.
- Speak more Spanish / Hablar más español.
- Follow Mexico News Daily / Seguir a Mexico News Daily.
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Sweeping away the old, welcoming the new
Now, sweeping your house with an open door to remove dirt and make space for the new is another tradition my mom has always followed at home. It’s a way of wishing for good and fun experiences in the upcoming year, something like the U.S. way of saying out with the old, in with the new, but put into practice.
Symbolic seeds for prosperity
Another good one is either cooking lentils and giving them to your friends for good luck or arranging a tray with a variety of seeds, such as rice symbolizing prosperity, abundance, unity, and love; wheat representing essential food in a household; lentils for good luck; and sunflower seeds to ensure a year full of work.
A year full of travel
However, my favorite tradition has always been walking outside my house with my luggage, wishing for a year of travel and adventure. I’ve been doing this since I was a kid, and it’s one of the most enjoyable traditions to adopt. We basically hit the streets and walk around the block with empty suitcases. Trust me, it’s always a blast.
I wish you a happy new year full of unique and fun traditions to adopt. Let us know in the comments which of these you liked the most.
¡Feliz Año Nuevo!
Paulina Gerez is a translator-interpreter, content creator, and founder of Crack The Code, a series of online courses focused on languages. Through her social media, she helps people see learning a language from another perspective through her fun experiences. Instagram: paulinagerezm / Tiktok: paugerez3 / YT: paulina gerez
