Do you want to start the New Year off on the right foot? In Venezuela, New Year’s Eve traditions include unique rituals to attract money and love. Learn about these customs and how you can incorporate them for a year filled with success and happiness.
Midnight Rituals for the Venezuelan New Year
Magaly Rodríguez’s house is always crowded on December 31st, not just with a large number of family and friends but also with the usual rituals that reach their peak just as the clock welcomes the New Year.
Most of the guests at this party hold twelve grapes in their left hand, which they will eat with champagne while listening to the twelve chimes of midnight. Others hold bills (some mix bolívares, dollars and euros) in their right hand to call for luck.
For those who want to find love, one or several single women ensure they have a chair reserved for when they eat the grapes. This rite is customary for those who don’t want to be left out in the cold.
The grandmother distributes pots of lentils in a corner to people who want to call for prosperity, while others wear yellow underwear inside out under their clothes. The bravest pack their suitcases and prepare their passports for numerous trips abroad.
“We are a big, boisterous family, so doing all the New Year’s Eve rituals is a tradition for us. Despite their absurdity, these customs give us a sense of vitality, optimism and joy,” says Rodríguez.
“December 31st is perfect for leaving behind the bad. You have to start the new year well. Out with the old, in with the new, as they say,” adds Emma Battistella, a teacher and close friend of the family.
Money and Love
Among the customs that many Venezuelans follow on the last day of the year are the rituals of grapes, yellow underwear, suitcases, lentils and money in hand, in addition to esoteric baths and cleansings or special home cleanings or workplace cleanings.
Year-end combos are highly sought after, according to Jairo Norea and Lucelina Cardón, owners of Perfumera Negra Francisca, located in aisle 2 of the municipal market in Puerto La Cruz.
The kit comes with candles, incense, an “energized” aromatic liquid for cleaning and bathing, as well as a Feng Shui medallion that can be placed in a store for protection or carried in a purse.
Additional Rituals
There are many options in esoteric shops to stock up on incenses and baths with roses, champagne, sandalwood, pine, mandarin, cariaquito, milk, amethyst, among other aromas, for those who want to invoke love, peace, ward off bad luck, or achieve something specific.
“Sweeping on the 31st from the entrance to the back will allow good to enter the house. If you want to get rid of the bad, do it in reverse, starting from the back of the house and moving up to the door,” says Cardón.
If the previous year didn’t go well in matters of the heart, it is advised to tie a red ribbon to a photo of the loved one on December 31st. Then, with a bit of luck, place it under the pillow for the morning of January 1st.
Goodbye to Bad Luck!
Eating twelve grapes and counting the seeds is one of the most popular rituals; the resulting number will be the lucky number for the following year. Other common practices include cleaning the house, taking body baths and lighting incense, all of which, in the eyes of believers, are meant to ward off bad luck and attract positive energies.
Cleanings and incense are for material objects, like the house, the car and other items, while baths are applied to the body. The most commonly used materials include sandalwood, flowers, macuá birds, onyx, cinnamon, mint and basil.
Some suggest lighting a yellow candle (for abundance) at 12 o’clock on December 31st along with seven grains of rice, seven lentils and seven coins.
Light the candle and make a wish for happiness, love and abundance for the family. Bury the rice and lentils when the candle has burned out completely. Keep the coins as they will not be used for six months.
Peace of Mind at Home
Cinnamon is recommended for achieving spiritual tranquility at home. Boil two or three glasses of water with seven or eight cinnamon sticks and then close the house so the aroma fills the air. This will create a more peaceful atmosphere at home and keep arguments and fights at bay.
Basil has many uses, but its main one is to ward off “evil spirits.” Simply prepare an infusion and place it under the mattress.
Starting the New Year with Venezuelan traditions can bring positive energy into your life. From esoteric baths to prosperity rituals, each custom is designed to ensure a year filled with happiness and abundance.
With information from Diario El Tiempo
