Teachers strike in Scotland: Here’s all you may want to know

New Year also means hoping for a great year ahead. In Spain, during the last 12 seconds towards the New Year, people eat 12 grapes for each chime of the clock. The Spanish believe that this tradition brings good luck throughout the year. According to the legends, the custom came into practice after grape traders came up with the idea to sell more grapes. Many also believe that the custom dates back to ancient Roman times.

The Philippines have one of the most unique traditions. On New Year, Filipinnos are seen wearing polka dots as they believe that spherical items bring good luck. Over the years, wearing a dress with round patterns on New Year’s Eve has become a common sight. The Filipinos also believe that round goods will bring prosperity.

Scotland has numerous traditions attached to New Year celebrations. ‘First-footing’ is a common custom where the first person to enter a home after midnight is believed to bring good luck. The Scottish also perform a traditional dance known as ‘ceilidh’. ‘Borestone Mountain’ is an age-old tradition of climbing to the top of a mountain and watching the sun rise.

The Italians are known for their love for lentils. They believe that the coin-like shape of lentils brings luck and prosperity. The New Year’s dinner here features a wide variety of dishes that have lentils as the main ingredient. Pork is added to various lentil dishes, either whole meat or as sausage.

Brazilians wear all-whites from New Year’s Eve until New Year's Day. White symbolizes peace and by wearing white on the occasion, Brazilians wish for peace to all in the new year.

Columbians have a unique custom of placing potatoes under the bed on the last night of the year. According to tradition, Columbians place three potatoes - peeled, unpeeled and half peeled. At midnight, they pull out a potato without looking at it. Peeled potato means they may have financial problems, unpeeled potatoes stands for abundance, while half-peeled potato means a balance of both prosperity and despair.

In the rural parts of Canada, people spend the New Year’s Eve with friends engaging in ice fishing. Friends gather on frozen ponds and fish in the open. Ice fishing lasts all night. Numerous fish preparations also feature on the elaborate new year’s meal in Canada.

The Irish have the most unusual way to celebrate New Year’s Eve. In Ireland people hurl bread on the wall on NYE. According to the Irish belief, banging bread is a way to chase away evil spirits and invite good luck. The tradition is also believed to ensure a year full of abundance.

Broken dishes bring good luck. Perhaps, this is the reason that each year on New Year’s Eve people in Denmark celebrate by going around homes and breaking dishes on the doorsteps. The Dutch believe that the more shards of plates on the front yard in the morning, the luckier one gets in the new year.