New Year’s Eve, and eventually, New Year’s Day, is a well-celebrated holiday in the whole world. It is a celebration with two goals, one for bidding farewell to the leaving year, and another one for giving a warm welcome to the entering year.
—
In the first weeks of December, Pantone announces what would be the color of the year for incoming 2022. The color was revealed to be a bright twist on periwinkle blue with purple undertones, it was named “Very Peri” by the organization. This is the first time in 22 years that the Pantone Color Institute created a brand new color for the Color of the Year. Very Peri symbolizes a wave of positive attitude and hope, it signifies a hue of courage and creative expression. The announcement of the 2022 Color of the Year is a signifier that the current year is ending and the entire world is preparing for the brand new year that is upon all of us.
New Year’s Eve, and eventually, New Year’s Day, is a well-celebrated holiday in the whole world. It is a celebration with two goals, one for bidding farewell to the leaving year, and another one for giving a warm welcome to the entering year. New Year’s Day has been celebrated by almost all countries of the world for as far as humans can remember. New Year’s Eve, which would be celebrated on the night of December 31st and New Year’s Day 2022 as soon as the clock strikes at midnight of January 1st. During this momentous event, the entire world is up all night making noise. Traditions include lively parties, preparing special New Year’s Eve meals, setting up colorful and magical firework displays, and almost everybody is updating their list of New Year’s resolutions that hopefully, wouldn’t be postponed for another year.
Read also: A flashback of the year 2021
Countries and civilizations of the world have varying ways of celebrating this holiday. In ancient times, specifically, back in ancient Babylon, celebrating the entrance of a brand new year was different, instead of the first day in January, Babylonians celebrate on first new moon after the vernal equinox. It might be different from our modern way of celebrating New Year’s day but if there’s one thing we have in common is that ancient people also celebrated by throwing huge festive parties. In New York City, locals and tourists gather around Times Square for the annual and very anticipated Ball Drop that is attended by a lot of people from different places, some prominent and iconic entertainers are invited each year to perform on the stage which attracts more tourists.
Just like most parts of the world, the Philippines also has a unique set of traditions in welcoming the brand new year. With the various beliefs and cultures of the Filipinos, we can safely say that the Filipino way of celebrating New Year’s Day is one of a kind. These traditions had been present for generations and are still being done by most Filipinos even up to this day. We are listing down, or better yet, counting down different Filipino traditions associated with New Year’s day that will surely solidify that New Year’s Day is really more fun in the Philippines.
10. “Everybody better be jumping!”
As Southeast Asian, the average height of the Filipinos is far shorter than most of the people from other nations so the Filipinos don’t waste chances. It is a popular belief in the Philippines that as soon as the clock strikes 12 on January 1st, people should give it their best and jump as high as you can to give yourself more inches in height. There’s no scientific proof or evidence that this tradition does really work but there’s no harm in trying every year, right? Jumping on the midnight of New Year’s day is mostly done by children and teens but adults still participate, there are no rules for this, after all, just make sure you jump distanced from each other to avoid getting hurt.
9. Lights on and open the doors!
One of the traditions of the Filipinos when it comes to New Year’s eve is that every light in the house should be turned on. Turning all the lights on inside your house is believed to attract good fortune and prosperity to your home that will stay for the entire year. Having a bright house will also decrease dark areas making your place appear more lively and ready for the upcoming year. Of course, if you’re going to attract luck and fortune inside your house, you must also make sure that all doors are open. Not just your main doors, but all sorts of openings in your house such as windows and cabinets. This tradition will surely bring good vibes to your place and will keep your house open for blessings for the entire year. Cleaning the entire house before the new year enters is also a popular chore for everyone to do in the last hours of the year.
8. Wear your best polka outfits!
If it’s lucky to wear red on Christmas, then New Year’s day gives you a much more festive option for your choice of attire! The Filipinos believed that wearing your best polka-dotted outfit on New Year’s Eve will help bring luck and wealth to the person wearing it. If you’re wondering why prosperity and fortune on New Year’s day is always associated with the circle than any other shape, it’s simply because round is the shape of money. So if you’re trying to manifest wealth for the new year then bring your polka-dotted shirt out of your closet and hope it would work. The best part? It doesn’t need to be a shirt, it’s up to you if you prefer wearing polka-dotted pants, a jacket maybe, or even polka-dotted underwear! No one’s even stopping you to sport a polka-dotted full outfit ensemble, it might look a bit tacky, but everybody’s doing it too!
7. Make some noise!
Whenever there’s a party, there’s music. New Year’s day in the Philippines is probably the loudest day of the entire year. Songs and trends that defined the entire year could be heard being blasted everywhere. Karaoke machines are all on display and everybody is holding a microphone singing their hearts out. Children had been waiting for this moment of becoming the loudest and noisiest person in the room by repeatedly blowing their colorful festive horns. Making loud noises could be attributed to the belief that blowing the horn of renew symbolizes the start of a new beginning and learning from the past. The creation of loud noises around your house is a tradition that is believed to drive negativity and bad spirits away from your home to make a place for good ones.
6. Don’t spend, instead, pay your debts
It is believed that what you’d do on the eve of New Year’s day is what would you keep on doing for the rest of the year so Filipinos refrain from spending too much on this day. Keeping yourself free from debts will also attract prosperity and a debt-free year to yourself. This kind of custom not only gives you the relief of not having something on your mind on this day but it would also fix whatever misunderstandings you have with other people, which will also give you a more positive mindset.
Filipinos love to spend less on everything and save up money for far more important things. Saving up and looking for the most affordable options in everything doesn’t mean that you’re only getting the things with the least value. Just like in choosing and buying properties, Bria Homes offers affordable house and lot options that you could choose from. Living the life that you want in a place that is perfect for you and your family doesn’t need to cost a lot. If you’re looking for the right place to start a new life for the new year, Bria Homes is here to help you with your new beginnings.
5. Don’t be afraid to get wet!
The Filipinos are fun people, especially during festive occasions, there is never a dull moment in a Filipino community. In recent years, it’s been a tradition of the Filipinos to get wet during festivals and on New Year’s Day. If you’re walking on the sidewalk in the last hours of the year, the firecrackers aren’t the only thing you should be wary of. People love to splash anyone with water on New Year’ day, even if you’re just a stranger passing by, you are never safe from getting wet! Firetrucks and firemen also sometimes participate in this tradition. It is believed that this kind of custom washes away misfortune and negativity away from you and cleanses you to be ready for what’s to come, although it sometimes has the opposite effect since this mostly starts a fight when people who are not in favor of getting their outfits drenched in ice-cold water gets upset.
Read also: List of 2022 Holidays
4. Fill your pockets with coins.
As people love to manifest wealth on New Year’s day than any other thing, it is also a tradition to fill your pockets with coins. Wealthy titas and titos will gather everybody, mostly children (and kids at heart) in the courtyard and starts throwing coins into the air. Participants will then actively collect as many coins as they can from the ground and put them inside their pockets. This activity will surely give life to the party. You’re not allowed to spend your coins right away and should be inside your pockets for the entirety of the celebration. This will make sure that money wouldn’t be a problem for the entire year, hopefully. Other families put coins at every corner of the house with a pinch of salt for the same reason.
3. Thirteen round fruits on the table.
One of the most popular traditions of the Filipinos on New Year’s day is buying and displaying thirteen different kinds of round fruits on the dinner table. Fruits can have different sizes as long as they are round. Watermelons, grapes, oranges, and apples are the most popular. As said before, round shape symbolizes money, so this tradition is believed to attract fortune for the family. A ritual is done by putting the fruits in front of a mirror and saying a little prayer to multiply the blessings for the rest of the year. Thirteen grapes are tied on the top of the door frame of the main door to attract luck.
2. Media Noche
The Media Noche is the New Year’s day equivalent of the Christmas day’s Noche Buena. It is the last dinner of the year and the first meal of the new year. Filipinos prepare different kinds of food with as many colors as possible. Colorful desserts are also popular such as fruit salad and buko pandan. People celebrate this special meal by inviting neighbors and friends inside their house to eat. It’s a well-celebrated meal that is prepared by the entire family. Having delicacies with sticky rice as an ingredient is also common, this symbolizes the bond of the family to be stronger.
1. Being with the people you love.
However you want to spend your New Year’s Day, nothing beats celebrating it by being with the people you love the most. People celebrate this occasion by organizing family reunions and setting up party games for everybody to enjoy. It’s a tradition of the Filipinos of traveling from everywhere just to be home for this holiday as it is so much better to watch the wonderful fireworks in the night sky, share delicious food with your family and friends, and just be there for each other, hoping for the best for the coming year.
2021 had been a very trying year for everybody, a lot of families lost a loved one because of the pandemic and calamities that visited the country this year. It is alright to remember everything and everyone that we lost and it is alright to postpone these customs for another year, but if there’s one thing that is inevitable, it is the fact that time doesn’t stop. In whatever way you want to welcome the arrival of a brand new year, let’s all be reminded that it’s alright to hold unto your past, and make them your strength to keep marching on, to a brighter future, to a better world, and to new chapters.
New Year’s day could sometimes be just another day but it will always be a brand new day.
Written by Rashid Mansan
