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New Year's Eve |
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If you are fortunate to be in Cozumel on New Year's Eve (La Víspera de Año Nuevo), you will find our traditions for this celebration are fun, quite unique and have very distinctive features. Developed with a mix over the years from American, Mexican and European cultures, not to mention the native Mayans and Aztecs, travelers will find an incredible potpourri of fun customs, festivities and foods that have been influenced by the world's cultures. All this combined together makes spending December 31st in Cozumel quite an experience!
What we love about the night before the new year turns is that there are still many rituals preserved in Mexico whose beginnings date back to pre-Hispanic times. The Mayans, Aztecs and others of Mexico's pre-Hispanic cultures saw the concept of time very differently that other cultures and in a different manner that we do today! You may remember that everyone was predicting the "End of Time" on 12/31/2012 based on the Mayan calendar. However in reality, the Mayans never believed time was linear, but instead cyclical and while there were prophecies about the "end," it was simply to the Mayans the end of a "cycle" and not the end of time! As
Since time didn't end entirely and you are obviously still here reading this, maybe they were onto something with their theories about cycles! Regardless, if you are visiting Mexico during this time, you will still see many
traditions that reflect the heritage of these native Mexican cultures, often involving fire to "burn" the old year, cleansing and allowing a renewal of the past, making way for a bright and auspicious new year.
At the stroke of midnight, each home will customarily ring a bell quite loudly to symbolize joy and happiness in the home. While these bells are sounding, many will eat twelve (12) grapes, symbolizing the wishes for each month of the year. Taking them one by one for each month, biting into a sweet grape means it will be a good month and a sour grape, a bad month.
Should you be fortunate enough to be invited to some one's home for a New Year's Eve celebration, just remember it is tradition to eat a meal AFTER midnight so keep this in mind and perhaps snack on something before you go to the party!
Thoroughly cleaning the house for New Year's Eve is recommended to get rid of bad vibes and to attract better things. Another is to take a bath and throw a bucket of the wash water out the door.
Also some families have a presentation of sweet bread (pan dulce) is served at the stroke of midnight. The bread has a hidden lucky pendant or coin inside and the person receiving the slice with this hidden treasure will be blessed with good luck all year!
The colors you wear also play an important part of the traditions. Women who want love and passion in the coming year will wear red underwear; for happiness and health wear something yellow; green for health and well-being; for love and friendship wear pink underwear and wear something white for hope and peace.
Many families turn on all the lights in the home so that prosperity and success "radiate" throughout their home in new year ahead.
For those looking to travel in the upcoming year, take an empty suitcase for a walk around the house or block OR for those less physically capable, put the empty suitcase in the middle of the floor of a room and walk around it.
Eat a tablespoon of cooked lentils, or give a handful of raw lentils to family and friends for good fortune in the coming year.
For those who want to get married in the new year, it is recommended that they should sit or stand up on each of the twelve (12) chimes of the midnight bell. If hoping for a promotion at work, get up on a chair or stand on a ladder to be higher than others at midnight.
Regardless of which traditions you might adopt while in Cozumel for New Year's Eve, a tradition worldwide is to toast each other with a glass of sparkling wine because the bubbles represent the spark of happiness we all want to have throughout the coming year.
If you are looking to celebrate here in Cozumel over New Year's, a couple of quick recommendations:
Check out in advance what restaurants and clubs will be open over the evening! Those that will typically place a plaque outside the restaurant in advance that will cover any specials, activities, etc. that they have planned to celebrate the new year.
We urge you to find your "spot" and definitely, reservations are strongly recommended to ensure you will have a spot to "ring in" the new year.
We hope you will join us this New Year's Eve in Cozumel and take part in some of our wonderful island traditions! We can assist you with your island accommodations here at IslaMar Vacation Villas. To view lodging options, please Read More About Sherri's IslaMar Villas!! Feliz La Víspera de Año Nuevo!
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Copyright 2000 - 2024 Sherri Davis, All Rights Reserved. Contributors retain the copyright to their work. Please do not take art or written content without permission. Other graphics and reference materials are used and attributed as per the Fair Use Provision of The Copyright Act and individual terms of use.
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