As we reach the end of 2020, people around the world are preparing to celebrate the coming of the New Year with thousands of unique and fascinating traditions. The Mediterranean is no exception. 

If you happen to find yourself celebrating the New Year along the Aegean coastline, for example, you will likely notice that almost every home is decorated with at least one pomegranate. Many Greek and Turkish communities celebrate the stroke of midnight by smashing these delicious fruits, which is thought to bring good luck in the coming year, though some people prefer to less violent tradition of giving pomegranates as gifts. 

Across the Mediterranean you might find a different fruit-based tradition. It has become customary among many Spanish communities to eat 12 grapes to ring in the New Year, one for each stroke of the clock at midnight, which themselves represent every month in the coming year. It is thought that eating one grape at each chime will bring good luck, which often results in a sort of competition among revelers. Though consuming all 12 grapes in the alloted time is supposed to guarantee good luck, many Spaniards believe that sweeter grapes indicate that they will have a particularly good month.

Of course, not all Mediterranean customs involve fruit. Some of these traditions are designed to celebrate the passing of the old and prepare for the incoming year. Anyone celebrating the arrival of 2021 in parts of southern Italy should be extra cautious when walking through the streets. Many communities are known to throw out their unwanted or outdated items from their windows, including pots and pans, in a spectacularly literal interpretation of the adage “out with the old, in with the new.”

Other traditions are designed to celebrate the outgoing year. The French celebrate the New Year by giving out “Les étrennes,” small tokens of gratitude given to firefighters, postal workers, and other public servants, as well as close family members. French New Year’s festivities often last until January 6^th, giving everyone plenty of time to give gifts to everyone on their list.

Whether you are bringing in 2021 watching the ball drop in Times Square or smashing a pomegranate to bits, we at Aster Society wish you a very happy, healthy, and stylish New Year!