An hour before midnight on one New Year’s Eve night in Colombia my aunt-in-law took out a fistful of red thread and grapes. After passing out several dollar bills to the adults, she told us that it was time to get ready to be showered with riches in the upcoming year.
I was unfamiliar with this particular tradition, but I ran to my purse to find a dollar bill and started to sew. According to the custom, those who sew a border of red thread around a dollar bill and keep it in their wallet will have money all year. And believe it or not, it was as much that dollar bill as it was the lentils that I ate with a silver spoon at midnight that same night that resulted in financial prosperity for me that year.
But these are just two of the New Year’s customs that we Latinos follow in order to ring in the year with money, success and better job opportunities. They are as varied as the people.
Throughout most of Latin America, men and women will buy yellow underwear in December. The belief states that if you wear it on the last day of the year you will experience love luck, and happiness for the next 12 months.
If your hope is to change jobs or find one in the first place, don’t focus on the color of your underwear. You’ll need to climb a step right at midnight. That symbolizes possible promotions and career success.
In my grandmother’s home, we had the tradition of lighting yellow and gold candles, with the hope of bringing in prosperity. It’s even better if you add yellow fruits and flowers to the mix. This will guarantee the arrival of money and abundance in the new year.
To have money in the coming year, there are several things you can do. First, you should have lots of dollar bills ready to go in your pocket. Or else you can put your hands on a serving dish covered in sugar and then wash them with champagne. Some people simply open the champagne and shower their guests with it.
This New Year’s Eve, I plan on trying out a new Spanish tradition involving champagne and gold. Supposedly, if you put a gold ring inside a glass of champagne at midnight on Dec. 31, your year will be full of money and prosperity.
Other Colombian friends I know will guarantee financial success by placing wheat stalks throughout their homes. They then hand them out to their dinner guests, who ideally will have them in hand at the stroke of midnight.
I know some of these traditions might seem ridiculous, but they are very common in Latino homes like mine. The best part of the night is when I explain to my children why we have so many rituals and why we believe that money will come our way simply because we’ve lit some candles or eaten lentils.
“That’s how we Latinos are, my love. I don’t know if this will work, but you have to do it, just in case.” After receiving quite the incredulous look from my eldest son, I have to add: “Eat as many lentils as you want, and we’ll see what happens.”
To be on the safe side, I also add that being said, if you want to make money, you have to work really hard.
¡Feliz Año Nuevo a todos!
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