China's New Year's Eve dinner can be said to be the most lavish meal of the year, as if all the money just wants to be spent at this moment. Abroad, however, there are all kinds of strange New Year's Eve dinner customs.
1. India Starving
2. Philippines The New Year's Eve dinner in the Philippines involves the whole family "working together to make chicken rice." The people of the country are fond of eating chicken. The most interesting thing is that if someone manages to get the rooster's head, it is said to mean "being the top and announcing the morning to the house"; getting the hen's head signifies "many children and many chickens (good luck)"; even if one just gets the chicken's rib, it is considered "tasty to eat"; and if someone gets an egg, it symbolizes "completeness and perfection."
3. Poland Eating greens Polish girls, when celebrating the New Year, wear special rabbit-shaped clothes while eating greens. It is said that eating greens will make everything go smoothly and satisfactorily.
4. Paraguay No fireworks In Paraguay, South America, the last five days of the year are designated as cold food days. During these five days, from the national leader to the common people, no one uses fire and everyone eats cold food. Only after the New Year's midnight chimes can they start cooking delicacies, set up a grand feast, and celebrate the New Year.
5. Vietnam Soup is forbidden In northern Vietnam, some ethnic minorities, on New Year's Eve, go to their usual water source to offer incense and bow, then boil a bucket of water for the New Year's Eve dinner. After cooking, they first make offerings to ancestors, then the whole family eats the dinner. During this meal, drinking soup is strictly forbidden, as they believe that drinking soup will flood the crops, resulting in no harvest.
6. Hungary Avoid eating poultry They believe that eating poultry will make luck fly away in the coming year. When giving gifts to relatives and friends for the New Year, they mostly prefer gifts featuring chimney sweepers and plump little pigs. The chimney sweep symbolizes getting rid of the old, and the plump little pig represents celebration and joy.
7. Madagascar No meat allowed In Madagascar, meat is not permitted to be eaten in the seven days leading up to the New Year. Only at the New Year's Eve dinner can they eat some poultry. On New Year's Day, husbands and wives give chicken tails to their parents to show respect and chicken legs to siblings to express care and friendship.
8. Bulgaria Favor the first sneezer If you eat New Year's Eve dinner in a Bulgarian household, you must sneeze, as this can bring unexpected benefits. Local custom holds that the first person to sneeze will bring a year of happiness to the whole family. Therefore, the host goes to their farm and brings the first sheep, calf, or foal they see, and gives it to the guest who sneezed first.9. Japan: On New Year's Eve, when the bell rings 108 times, every household competes to eat long noodles. It is said that people in this island nation believe that the longer the noodles a household eats, the better their luck will be in the coming year. Moreover, the amount of luck is proportional to the length of the noodles.
10. Brazil: In the forests, there is a very rare product called the "golden birch fruit," which the locals regard as a symbol of happiness and good fortune. Every New Year, after the New Year's Eve bells have rung, thousands of people pour out of their homes, holding torches, humming little tunes, and rushing toward the nearby forests. Everyone eagerly searches for and shares the "golden birch fruit," using this "special New Year product" to wish each other luck and happiness for the coming year.
India: On New Year's Day, Indians practice fasting from dawn until midnight. After midnight, each household tastes the prepared meals and exchanges New Year greetings.
