Jump waves or wearing yellow clothes are celebrated at the end of the year in the world

Taking 12 grapes before starting the year may seem the most common tradition in the world, but did you know that there are countries where they have three waves, see the birth of the sun, wear yellow underwear or eat pork lentils as a symbol of abundance?

Natives of Russia, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Nicaragua, Brazil, Peru, Honduras and Puerto Rico talk about their end -of -year rituals, and these are some of their customs:

SOUTH KOREA

In South Korea, Jeong Min Shi, originally from Seoul, states that New Year's Eve and New Year are two "quite simple" celebrations because in your country the most important thing is the New Year according to the lunar calendar, known as the 'Chinese New Year', that this year is celebrated on February 1.Likewise, on December 31, friends and family come together to listen."Many people at night go to beaches of the east or go up to the mountain to be able to see the exit of the sun," he says.

As for the typical food, in South Korea they usually close the year with rice paste soup.The reason?Jeong Min, explains it: "In Korean, 'Fet one year' is said 'Eating one more year (나이 먹다 먹다)' and rice paste has a symbol of life.Therefore, eating rice paste soup (떡국) means that you turn one year old in New Year ".As an anecdote, many children always repeat this soup because they want to be adults, while the elderly do not.

RUSSIA

With vodka or, failing that, beer.Thus recognizes Irina, a Russian resident in Aragon for several years, who are beginning to say goodbye to the year in their country."Before dinner we go to the sauna, which has nothing to do with what is in Spain.There you drink vodka or beer and take peck.It is laughing, "he recalls.

They do not have a standardized food dish for that day, because it says it can be fish, turkey or grilled meat, among other things.However, Irina indicates that there is a meal that can not be missing: the salad - similar to the one we call 'Russian salad'--."This year is the year of the tiger, so in some houses they are inventing a salad with ingredients that carry the colors of this animal, yellow and black, to simulate its face," he adds.

Finally, they listen to the bells, but without grapes.The last seconds of the year the Russians dedicate them to burn a role where they have written their wishes for the next."When the bells begin, you start burning and you have to end up burning before the bells finish to be fulfilled," he exclaims.

GERMANY

Superstitions also star in the end of the German year.Zaragoza Carlota Martínez, based for a few years in the German country, explains that in this country it is "super typical" melts lead in a spoon with a candle and then dump in cold water so that it hardens.Afterwards, the form it adopts is compared to a table of meanings, which will predict how good it will be the following year.

"This technique is called 'Bleigießen' -Molibdomancia in Spanish- and some Germans already buy a set of lead bullion with predetermined shapes to be molten," he adds.

Ejemplo de la técnica de 'Bleigießen' -molibdomancia en castellano- habitual en Alemania, entre otros países.

Also, in Germany it is common to throw fireworks to celebrate the coming year."Each at home has fireworks and throws them with their neighbors, their ball, not like here they are organized.The entire city full of fires ends, "he recalls.

ITALY

"The traditions in Italy are to meet with the family or friends in the afternoon and make a great dinner, we usually call it 'il cenone di capodanno' in which you usually eat pig with lentils ('Cotechino with Le Lenticchie') the midnight.The pig because it is a very fatty animal and is a symbol of abundance and lentils because they say they look like coins and, therefore, symbolize money, "says Paola so much, of Sicily (Italy).

The ten seconds before midnight in Italy, you start counting the other way around and at 00:00 some samples of good luck are made such as breaking dishes and then throwing salt on them or throwing old clothes from the window to symbolize throwall negative things and welcome everything new and positive that awaits us.

On the other hand, Melanie Fischnaller, of the Alto Adige region (Italy), specifies that in the area where the music bands live they ensure a lively beginning of the New Year, parading of farm in farm and home at home until the entranceof January 1."As thanks, musicians are invited to enter the house to take a brandy," he adds.

BRAZIL

The end of the year in Brazil is synonymous with beach and party: "We are dressed in white with red panties to bring luck and love and, as we are very superstitious, we have to jump three waves," says Carmen.Those who do not live near the coast are celebrated in a house and, as in Italy, the most common dinner is pig with lentils because, he explains, "the pig is an animal that uses a lot of nose and, therefore, symbolizes go forward".Wealth is represented by lentils.A wish that they reinforce with a 50 reais ticket under the plate.

PERU

For its part, in Peru the tradition dictates "Change things of place," says María Rosa (fictional name), such as the location of the bed in the bedroom or the sofa of the room, and dress yellow clothes.As in Spain, at 00:00 12 grapes are eaten and among the most common dishes highlights pig and chicken, "little seafood".The dessert cannot be missing.

"We take a lot of chocolate with paneton," he says."We make liquid chocolate, with cinnamon, butter and vanilla.It is eaten with pieces of panetton, which you can also put butter, and entered the New Year, they burst rockets, which fly high and sound a lot ".The next habit in this South American country is to dance and drink in good company.

Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica

In Central America the end of the year party revolves around dinner, which is usually very numerous.In Honduras they decorate the streets with colored papers and put Christmas music.Among the typical dishes is the nacatamal, which is cooked with cornmeal and is filled with chicken, potatoes, carrot, raisins, olives, and onion, which is wrapped in a white dough with banana leaves, seasoned with butter ofpig.Rice is also popular, because "as abundant, it fits all pockets," says a Honduran resident in Aragon who prefers not to reveal his identity.

Fotografía de un nacatamal.

In Nicaragua, the usual thing is to eat chicken stuffed with vegetables and baked hill meat, while in Costa Rica what most usually are the 'tamalitos', which are chicken or pig.

PUERTO RICO

And speaking of party...Puerto Rico is not far behind.The Puerto Rican Nicole Santiago points out that the celebrations in her country "are not very different from Spain", because there they celebrate cotillones in hotels or in private homes to welcome the new year.All, inaugurated with fireworks.Yes change the food.The end of the year menu usually consists of rice with gandules, pernil (roasted pig), champagne and cakes.