New Year traditions that give spark to Filipino homes

New Year celebrates the anticipation of what the next year will bring. It’s a right moment to be thankful for all the blessings you have received. It’s also a perfect time to reflect on one’s life and a great opportunity to be with the people close to you.

On New Year’s Eve, Filipinos gather with their families and observe old time favorite New Year traditions to usher in good health, prosperity and good luck for the coming year. It’s amazing to think that some of the New Year traditions observed today can be traced back to our foreign colonizers. Century-old traditions have embedded themselves in Philippine culture. Some traditions have changed and evolved through the years but majority remain alive, having been passed from generation to generation.

New Year traditions are shared among Filipinos regardless of age, gender and economic status. Traditions do not discriminate. Both the less fortunate and well-to-do Filipino families have their own ways of welcoming the arrival of the New Year. Everyone wishes for good tidings to grace their homes.

Here are some favorite Filipino year-end traditions:

Home

Homes are swept, wiped, scrubbed, dusted and polished before New Year sets in. It is believed that a clean and clutter-free home invites good luck. Clearing the mess drives away past misfortunes and negative vibes. A clean home is a great way to start anew.
On New Year’s Eve, just before midnight, the windows and doors are opened to usher in good luck. Word of caution: you can invite good luck but don’t tempt opportunistic robbers. Keep an eye on opened doors and windows.
Another way to welcome good luck into your home is to open the lights inside the house before midnight.
Avoid sweeping the floor after the midnight celebration. It would be a shame to drive away good luck that just entered your home on New Year’s Eve.
Lighting incense and scattering its fumes around the house help keep bad elements away.
Coins are placed on staircases, windows and doors to attract good fortune. Make sure everyone knows where the coins are to avoid accidental slips.

Food

Round-shaped fruits take centerpiece on the dining table. Many Filipinos believe that round fruits symbolize wealth. The number of round fruits varies. Some prepare 12; others, 13.
When the clock strikes twelve, every member in the family eats 12 grapes for a prosperous year. Each grape stands for each month of the year.
Putting small containers of uncooked rice, sugar and water on the dining table also symbolize prosperity.
Small pineapple fruits are placed on windows or hung by the doors. The multitude “eyes” on the pineapple symbolize successful career and great opportunities.
Sticky foods such as tikoy, rice cakes and other Pinoy kakanin symbolize closeness and unity within the family.
Tikoy, being round is believed to bring prosperity and unity all year round.
It’s also good to serve hopia during New Year because this Chinese bean-filled pastry symbolizes hope and eternity.
Some families avoid serving poultry dishes, particularly chicken during New Year to avoid possibility of financial problems. The chicken is associated with the Filipino saying “isang kahig, isang tuka” which some equate to poverty and hardship.
There are two contradicting beliefs when it comes to serving fish during New Year. Some think that serving fish on the dining table will promote health and wealth. In Chinese, the word for fish is “Yu” which sounds similar to wish and abundance. For the Filipino-Chinese, serving a whole fish (with its head and tail attached) symbolizes a good beginning and ending for the coming year. On the other hand, some people think that fish means poverty or scarcity.
There are also mixed opinions about serving shrimps during New Year. Some believe that it’s bad luck because shrimps are known as bottom dwellers while others believe that shrimps or prawns stand for prosperity and good health.
Spaghetti and pancit are common during New Year because the long noodles symbolize longevity.
Serve sweet-tasting food. The sweetness of the food stands for a rich and sweet life.
Avoid serving bitter-tasting food. Eating bitter food creates a scowl on your face. You wouldn’t want to welcome the New Year with a frown.

Clothing

Wearing clothes with polka dots symbolize prosperity.
Wearing red during New Year is also considered good luck.

Others

Pay existing debts before New Year to avoid the cycle of debt in the coming year. A clean slate is a great way to start anew.
Coins are placed inside the pockets and shaken as you walk around the house when the clock strikes 12 to bring prosperity.
Coins are thrown inside the house for a bountiful New Year. Members of the household can pick up the coins the following day. They can keep the coins for good luck.
Children and even some grownups jump at midnight hoping to grow taller.
Creating loud noises at midnight helps drive away bad luck and bad spirits. Using firecrackers on New Year’s Eve is discouraged by the Department of Health because of the countless firecracker accidents recorded through the years. Children should never be allowed to handle firecrackers.
Safer forms of merry noisemaking include blowing horns and whistles, ringing bells, honking car horns, revving car engines, beating drums, banging pot and pans, and playing loud music on stereos and mp3 players.
Some car owners fill up their tank to symbolize a prosperous New Year.

Every family has its own way of preparing and celebrating New Year but we all yearn for a blissful and blessed year to come. It’s time to put behind the failures and mistakes of the previous year and look forward to a better and more rewarding new year.

Say good bye to 2011 and welcome 2012 with open arms. Wishing everyone a joyful, positive and bountiful New Year!

Photos: “Christmas Feast” by Rachel Yapchiongco. Some Rights Reserved; “Pattern Crazy Patriotism” by Orin Zebest, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved; “DSC05165.JPG” by Warren B., c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.

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Rachel Yapchiongco, also known as Rach to her friends, is a Psychology and Marketing Management graduate of De La Salle University. She took up MBA at the same university. Rachel is a full-time mom to a charming young boy and married to an entrepreneur with a passion for cooking. She shares parenting experiences and slices of everyday life on her personal blog called Heart of Rachel.

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