The unsuspecting person who spends New Year’s Eve on the streets of Uruguay without knowing the local traditions could end up soaking wet. Of water or cider. This is because one of the customs in the country is to throw a bucket of water out the window at midnight on New Year’s Eve, to leave behind the bad energy of the past year.
Several traditions different from Brazilian ones spread throughout the region, entertaining and surprising. In addition to water through the window, a custom also seen in Cuba, in Uruguay it is common, on the last day of the year, in the Old City, where there are a large number of administrative and office buildings, for workers to throw small pieces of paper from old almanacs or the Last year’s calendar out the window.
In the Port Market of Montevideo, the country’s capital, the tradition is a “cider fight”, in which those present not only toast, but also play by directing the jets of alcoholic beverage upwards and towards each other.
Instead of jumping the seven waves, in many countries, such as Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, it is common to burn dolls. Nicknamed “Old Year”, often made in human size, they are burned in the middle of the streets, symbolizing the intention to leave behind everything that one does not want to take into the new year.
In Colombia, people even put notes about bad things that happened inside the doll, so that they disappear with the flames. In some regions, custom mixes with protest and dolls are made with the faces of unpopular politicians.
In the city of La Plata, an hour from Buenos Aires, there is an award ceremony for the most creative giant dolls created especially for the ritual. Among the characters that usually appear among those who will be incinerated are Spider-Man, Tom and Jerry, from Harry Potter and the Smurfs.
In addition to the rituals of burning and throwing things out the window as a purification and cleansing custom for the coming year, there are also rituals with specific objectives, such as those practiced by many Brazilians, such as including lentils for prosperity and wearing yellow panties. to earn money.
But in several of the neighboring countries there is a practice of putting money or coins in shoes to earn money in the coming year.
If the intention is to travel more, in several Latin American countries the custom is to walk around the block with a suitcase in hand after midnight. And there are those who say that with the passport inside the luggage, the trips will be abroad.
In some Argentine homes there is also the belief that you cannot step on the floor at New Year’s Eve, but rather climb onto a chair, to “move up in life”. Whether it works or not, whoever does it will say, after certainly having a good laugh while trying.
