Little Passports New Years Eve Traditions Around The World
5, 4, 3, 2, 1…Happy New Year! As people in the United States start the new year with fireworks, parades, and resolutions, people around the world are also doing everything they can to welcome 2014. Join Sam and Sofia of Little Passports as they visit friends in other countries to see how they start the year!
Colombia
Are you looking for travel and adventure? In Colombia, they say that if you grab your suitcase and run around the entire block as fast as you can at exactly midnight on New Year’s Eve, you will get to travel in the new year. Sam and Sofia love joining their Colombian friends to participate in this tradition—they are always looking for their next adventure!
Greece
Sam and Sofia join their friends in Greece to celebrate New Year’s and St. Basil’s Day on January 1st.. The Greeks start the year off with a fun-filled day of food, festivities, as well as time with family and friends. One favorite way to celebrate is eating the Vasilopita or St Basil’s cake, which is similar to a pound cake and is baked with a silver or gold coin inside. Whoever finds the coin in their slice of cake will have a very lucky year!
Japan
When it’s cold outside, you might want to slurp down a giant bowl of steaming-hot noodles! But for the new year, not just any bowl of noodles will do. Little Passports always enjoys joining their Japanese friends to eat “long-life” noodles. Imagine a dish piled high with long, winding, uncut noodles! Many Japanese believe that eating these long noodles will bring health and longevity. What a yummy way for Sam and Sofia to start the new year!
Scotland
Do you pay attention to who enters your house first on New Year’s Day? In Scotland, on January 1st, people keep a close eye on the door because whoever enters first determines the family’s luck the next year. According to tradition, the “first-foot” must bring gifts—such as coal to wish others’ warmth and shortbread to wish everyone full bellies throughout the year. When Sam and Sofia visit their friends in Scotland on New Year’s Day, they always bring gifts!
Bring Little Passports into your child’s life in 2014 to teach them about all of the fascinating cultures around the world!
