{"id":190188,"date":"2017-12-03T17:36:11","date_gmt":"2017-12-03T16:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/?p=190188"},"modified":"2024-05-31T15:28:20","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T13:28:20","slug":"new-year-traditions-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/en\/blog\/new-year-traditions-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Curious New Year\u2019s Traditions in Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Italians are known for being quite superstitious. The night of San Silvestro (New Year\u2019s Eve) offers the perfect occasion to perform traditional rites meant to bring about good fortune. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eat lentils and grapes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eating lentils at midnight brings good luck. This custom has different origins. According to some, these legumes symbolize longevity because they are long-lasting. For others, lentils symbolise prosperity because they resemble ancient gold coins. Another thing you should do when midnight strikes, is to eat 12 grapes or 12 raisins (one for each month of the new year), to bring you luck. If you are accompanied by your partner, share a pomegranate on the night of San Silvestro, because this fruit symbolizes loyalty and fertility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"grape<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Wear red undergarments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On New Year\u2019s Eve, you should wear something red (usually underwear) because this will fend off negativity and help you with happiness and love. The origins of this tradition are unclear, but some believe it dates back to the ancient Romans, who would use red clothes to fend off war and blood. But for this superstition to work, your red underwear must be new and a gift from someone else. You are cheating if you buy your own or wear some old red lingerie!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Throw old things from the window<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This custom remains in different parts of Italy, including large cities like Naples and Rome. At midnight, some Italians throw out the window old things (usually crockery). This ritual symbolizes letting go of what is useless and getting rid of evil (physical and moral) accumulated during the year to make room for a fresh start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kiss under a mistletoe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although this is something that is mostly done on Christmas day, repeating the kiss on New Year\u2019s Eve won\u2019t do any harm. The mistletoe is a symbol of protection and love, so the kiss is meant to drive away evil spirits and help a couple. The ancient pagan origins can be traced back to the Druids, and this tradition is present in other countries too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"christmas<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The first person you meet on the street after midnight \u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Curious to know if the new year will be mostly positive or so-so? One of the most ancient customs in Italy is to observe the first person you meet on the street on Capodanno (New Year\u2019s Day). If it is an old person or (even better) a hunchback, the new year will be full of great surprises. If you meet a baby, a priest or a doctor \u2013 according to tradition, there might be some bad luck around the corner. The reasons behind this superstition are not clear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What about you?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What traditions or superstitions do you have in your country? Have we missed any Italian facts that you would like to add? Comment below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Italians are known for being quite superstitious. The night of San Silvestro (New Year\u2019s Eve) offers the perfect occasion to perform traditional rites meant to bring about good fortune.  Eat lentils and grapes Eating lentils at midnight brings good luck. This custom has different origins. According to some, these legumes symbolize longevity because they are 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are known for being quite superstitious. The night of San Silvestro (New Year\u2019s Eve) offers the perfect occasion to perform traditional rites meant to bring about good fortune.  Eat lentils and grapes Eating lentils at midnight brings good luck. This custom has different origins. According to some, these legumes symbolize longevity because they are…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studiainitalia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}