Ready for the New Year

SHS students discuss their annual traditions

Ready+for+the+New+Year

 

The journal surveyed 30 students on how they celebrate New Year’s Eve. A few said they had superstitions that were passed on, while others go to church, travel or follow traditions such as cleaning the house to leave the negative things in the past.  

Junior Regina Arnett mentions her family burns incense around the house, reorganizes and cleans everything to bring in the new year and make one resolution. This can be chaotic due to everything being moved and cleaned around the house.Regardless, she still takes time to call her brother who lives in Spain.

“I love just being together with my loved ones to celebrate the moment,” Arnett said.

German exchange student and junior Johanna Krick eats raclette, melted cheese that is used on side dishes, every year. She spends time with her family and family friends throughout the day. 

Usually at midnight, they would use fireworks, but they were banned in Germany to protect the environment from air pollution. However, the ban was lifted in 2022. 

 

Krick is spending New Year’s Eve this year with her host family, and is curious to know how they do it. For next year’s resolutions, she hopes to be more genuine, nice and overcome some of her fears.

“I definitely did [overcome some fears] because I was forced to overcome fears when I came to the U.S.,” Krick said. 

Freshman Laura Martinez buys or makes a doll called “Muñeco de Año Viejo.” A few minutes after or before New Year’s, the doll is burned to purge off the bad energy and scare it away. 

Similarly to other New Year’s Eve traditions, eating grapes is also done during a Colombian New Year’s. Traditional foods that Martinez says are eaten during New Year’s are lechona, cooked pig, and natilla Colombiana, frozen custard.

In her home country, Colombia, people put on yellow underwear and march down the streets. When marching, it is bad luck to look back. 

Martinez also mentions the topic of love when asked about her resolutions for the new years.

“I want to love myself,” Martinez said. “I want to get more people to love themselves.”