I grew up in a home with Scottish parents, so we always observed the practice of 'first foot'. The first person to cross your door in the New Year would allegedly determine what kind of year you could look forward to.
Ideally your first foot should be a tall, dark male, preferably a stranger and he should be carrying coal for your fire, bread for your table and drink for your health.
My mother also refused to put a calendar up before the strike of midnight, as this was suppsed to bring bad luck. So the calendar would be hung facing the wall, ready to be flipped when the new year had arrived.
She also believed strongly that you shouldn't start a new year fighting with someone, so all fights and disagreements needs to be resolved before the onset of the new year.

Another superstition we have been known to indulge in (although this one didn't come from my family) is the placing of a quarter (one for each member of the household) on an exterior windowsill. It's to be left there for the year, and is supposed to assure financial stability for the coming year.

Does anyone else have any kind of interesting traditions/superstitions associated with New Years?

Not realy but I was wondering how long the quarters stayed on the windowsill before they were lifted?

Yep, Skunkee, my mother was a 'first foot' fanatic. Was a tad delicate keeping the neighbours out until the requisite tall, dark and fortune-bearing stranger appeared .

We also were lead to believe that whatever you were doing at midnight on 31 December was a pretty good indication that you were going to spend a goodly part of the following year doing same. (I wonder why so many of my family try to cuddle close to someone special just as midnight approaches )

The only other 'tradition' chez nous was and continues to be the battle to the phone! Between incoming calls from family and friends not with us, and outgoing calls from everyone in the house to their missing friends and family...you can imagine the rush

Many people here in the US eat Black-eyed peas on New Years day to bring luck throughout the new year. (I don't know where that comes from)

We have always put the quarters on windows in the backyard, so they haven't been lifted yet. They do occassionally get knocked off by weather or by one of the cats though.

Has anyone ever heard of putting the coins into a cake? I've never seen it for myself, but I heard some people put coins and other trinkets (coins meant money, rings meant marriage, etc.) into a cake and it has some significance depending on who finds what regarding their future for that year.

All I can think of is a major chocking hazard. If I choked on a coin, I'd think about getting money too. From the person that served me the cake, in a lawsuit.

Our family has always done "first footing" too.No "dark haired gentleman" so I always go out the back door, through the Entry and right back in the front door again. Then back outside to watch the fireworks. But wild weather here today so not much standing outside tonight!

I like the Scottish traditions. I think I'll try the quarter thing, being on the 2nd floor of an apartment I think it will be safe until Hurricane season. Does using a bit of super glue count?

I'd also love for a tall dark and handsome stranger to arrive on my doorstep with some goodies can we had flowers to his delivery?

I've heard of the Black-Eyed peas too, they also have cornbread and some kind of greens too. An old saying goes, "Eat peas on New Year's day to have plenty of everything the rest of the year."

As for the trinkets in the cake, that I haven't heard of for New Year. I think that New Orleans area puts that stuff in cookies or other treats for New Year. But Trinkets in a cake is also a long standing bride's maid tradition. It was held before the actual cutting. Trinkets where attached to ribbons and the Bride's maids did a ribbon pull. Each trinket was to represent the kind of man you were going to marry. For sure it was in Victorian age, maybe sooner.

Wel, the fireworks have started. It's only 8pm and just getting very dark. Noisemaking and fireworks on New Year's eve is believed to have originated in ancient times, when noise and fire were thought to dispel evil spirits and bring good luck.

My tradition is to spend it on the cell phone or on line talk with family and friends from all around the world! That and a few pitchers of margaritas with lots of chips and homemade pico de gallo (salsa).


Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
That's welsh for Happy New Year!

The trinkets in the cake is something very common in Ireland for Halloween. We put various items into a fruit bread called a barm brack, each of which is supposed to indicate the fortune of the person who finds the piece. A ring would indicate a romantic liaison looming, a rag would fortell poverty, etc. This site has some extra information.

In France the tradition is to eat a Galette des Rois during the month of January. Originally this 'King's Cake' was eaten for the celebration of the Epiphany - the day when the three magi arrived at the stable in Bethlehem to venerate the baby Jesus. The cake always contains a fève or bean. The bean has nowadays been replaced by highly collectable porcelean figure (like these). The person who gets the fève is crowned king or queen for the day. Coupled with a very tasty puff-pastry, frangipane-filled cake it's a guarantted success.

Many people believe that the first words one should say as the clock strikes midnight are "Rabbit, rabbit!" I've no idea where this came from, but invoking a rabbit is supposed to bring good luck in the coming year.

Many years ago, my entire family happened to be together on New Year's Eve, and we all yelled out "Rabbit, rabbit." Unfortunately, the year turned out to be a dud for several of us. We now choose another word each year and engage in a great debate between Christmas and New Year's regarding what it should be.

This time around, we settled on "wombat."

I am a competitive emailer. Good to know I guess!