New Year’s Traditions in Europe: Superstitions, Food and Traditions

Send us Fan MailEurope celebrates New Year’s in ways that are fun, strange, symbolic and older than most people realize. In this episode, we break down the traditions and superstitions that show up across countries like Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Croatia, France, the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland and Sweden. Some places eat twelve grapes at midnight, some wear red underwear for luck, some jump off chairs and Austria has full monster parades designed to chase away bad spirits.We also look at the food rituals that shape New Year’s across Europe, including lentils, pork, oliebollen, kransekage, marzipan pigs and the rules about what you should and should not eat on January 1. And we talk about why so many countries call New Year’s Eve “Sylvester” and where that name actually comes from.If you have ever wondered how the holiday looks outside the United States or want to learn the meaning behind Europe’s oldest New Year’s traditions, this episode has everything. It is a mix of history, travel, folklore and real traditions that people still follow today.Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-dayLicense code: G7J4UDC0NAOFRJYLSupport the show