5 most fun New Year traditions from around the world for manifesting love, travel and good luck
Of all the New Year rituals doing the rounds online, eating twelve grapes under the table has become the one people truly swear by. Rooted in Spanish tradition, each grape stands for a wish for the months ahead. Social media turned it into a yearly obsession because it feels playful, secretive, and oddly powerful. Vision boards can wait. Party plans can pause. People still slip under tables at midnight, grapes in hand. Inspired by that energy, we rounded up the most fun global traditions to help manifest the 2026 you want.
Manifesting adventure: The suitcase walk
Across parts of Latin America, the New Year begins with an empty suitcase and a quick walk outside. The idea is simple. Act like the travel you want is already booked. At midnight, wheels roll across pavements, doors open, and neighbours laugh as suitcases click-clack along the street. It feels silly in the best way. This ritual is about showing intention through action. You are not just hoping for stamps in your passport. You are moving as if they are already on the way. Manifestation 101 but travel edition!
Manifesting luck and abundance: Seeds and circles
In Turkey and Greece, smashing a pomegranate at the front door is a dramatic start to the year. The more seeds scatter, the more abundance is said to follow. It is messy, loud, and impossible to ignore. That chaos is the point. It celebrates plenty in its most physical form.
In the Philippines, the mood is calmer but just as meaningful. Twelve round fruits fill the table, one for each month ahead. Polka dot clothes often join the celebration, echoing the same circular theme. Circles symbolise continuity and steady flow. One ritual shouts its wishes. The other whispers them. Both focus on wealth, just in very different tones.
Manifesting personal growth: The leap and the ash
In Denmark, people climb onto chairs and jump off at midnight. It is called a leap of faith for a reason. You leave the past year behind on that chair and land ready for something new. It is playful, physical, and full of release. Laughter usually follows, which feels like a good omen on its own.
Russia offers a far more intense approach. A wish is written on paper, burned, mixed into a glass of champagne, and then consumed before the clock finishes striking. It is bold and deeply symbolic. You are not just wishing for change. You are taking it in, quite literally. These rituals focus on inner shifts and personal resolve.
From grapes under the table to a suitcase walk around the drawing room or garden, these rituals all circle back to the same feeling. Belief. Choosing to start the year with hope, intention, and a little bit of fun. The ritual itself matters less than the mindset behind it. Trusting that the coming year holds good things and permitting yourself to look forward to it without doubt.
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The author of this article holds a Master’s Degree in Interior Design and has spent over a decade in research, teaching, and designing homes from scratch.
