Happy New Year...we're back!

Happy new year to all. I bet you missed this blog over the holiday. No worries..I'm back! I rocked the new year like I usually do...low key, at home with friends. Seriously, I hate the bars...so expensive and hyped up. Anyways, hope you all made it back home safely and are ready to start another excellent year.

• Austria - Evil spirits of the old year are chased away by the firing of moroars, called boller. Midnight mass is attended and trumpets are blown from church 
• Great Brittan - the first male visitor to the house, after midnight ,is supposed to bring good luck. The man brings a gift like money, bread, or coal, to ensure the family will have plenty of these in the year to come. The first person must not be blond, red-haired, or a women, as these are supposed to be bad luck. 
• Germany - People drop molten lead into cold water to tell the future from the shape it makes. A bit of food eaten on New Year's Eve is left on their plate until after Midnight, as a way on ensuring a well stocked larder in the coming year.. 
• In Hungary the people burn effigies, or a scapegoat known as "Jack Straw". The scapegoat represents the evils and misfortunes of the past year. Burning the effigy is supposed to get rid of the bad luck.
• Japan - To keep out evil spirits they hang a rope of straw across the front of their houses. The rope stands for happiness and good luck. When the New Year begins, the Japanese people begin to laugh, which is supposed to bring them good luck in the New Year.
• The Portuguese pick and eat twelve grapes from a bunch as the clock strikes twelve on New Year;s Eve. The twelve grapes ensure twelve happy months in the coming year. (this also happens in peru and spain)
• Wales - At around 3:00 to 4:00 am on New Year's morning, the boys of the village go from house to house with an evergreen twig to sprinkle on the people and then each room of their house, to bring good luck
• Philippines - boys jump at new year to get taller.
• America - People gather together to get plastered and make bad decisions, often times glitter is worn on short dresses to enhance a girl's assets and help in the making of poor choices for all. Cheers.