As Hatboro prepares to drop a giant hat for the first time on New Year’s Eve, The Keystone published an article detailing similar traditions around Pennsylvania, each involving the dropping of “weird things”.
Bethlehem, for example, drops a 4-foot, 9-inches tall, 400-pound yellow Peep. Dillsburg drops a Mr. Pickle into a barrel in the center of town, Hallam drops a replica of the Shoe House, and Harrisburg drops a giant, lit strawberry (homage to its Strawberry Square shopping center).
Kennett Square drops a 700-pound stainless steel mushroom, Mechanicsburg drops an 85-pound galvanized steel wrench, and Lancaster drops a red rose.
Some towns move their objects in the opposite direction. Gettysburg, for example, raises a depiction of Abraham Lincoln’s stovepipe hat, Hershey raises a Hershey’s Kiss, and Pittsburgh raises the “Future of Pittsburgh” ball (a 1,000-pound orb made of 100% recycled materials).
You can read through the rest of Pennsylvania’s hometown twists here.
USA and Beyond
While the giant colorful ball in New York City’s Times Square may be the most iconic of year-end celebrations around the country, USA Today published an article on Sunday outlining other bizarre midnight-drop traditions, including Nashville’s red Music Note, Amelia Island’s (Florida) giant shrimp, and Boise’s glowing potato.
Afar Magazine published an article earlier this month featuring current global New Year’s Eve traditions.
“In Spain, Portugal, and some countries in Latin America (such as Colombia), for example, it’s 12 grapes or raisins, and in Italy, 12 spoonfuls of lentils—one with each of the 12 chimes of the clock at midnight,” the author wrote.
Other examples: Scots conduct a “redding of the house” (a deep clean), Filipinos wear round shapes and eat round fruits, Russians take 12 seconds of silence, Mexicans walk around with an empty suitcase, Cubans throw buckets full of dirty water out their front doors, Danes jump off a chair or sofa, and the Japanese visit local temples to exchange last year’s lucky amulets.
More examples from around the world below:
Last but not least, Mental Floss published an article earlier this month which chronicles 11 unusual Victorian-era New Year’s traditions:
- Don’t let a woman be the first to enter your house in the new year.
- Don’t take anything out of your house without bringing something in.
- Be a gentleman caller on New Year’s Day.
- Throw bread at the door on New Year’s Eve.
- Attend a “Watch Night” service on New Year’s Eve.
- Open a Bible at random to tell your future on New Year’s Day.
- Force someone to ride the stang on New Year’s Day.
- Send a strange New Year’s card.
- Eat a disgusting pie on New Year’s Eve.
- Play a silly “Resolutions” party game at your New Year’s Eve party.
- Think about New Year’s Eve as a kind of funeral.
Happy New Year from Glenside Local.
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