It is amazing to see how traditions from different countries can seem so different but at the same time they can be following the same pattern.
If I ask you if there is any similarity between the traditions in Chinese New Year and the way how we celebrate New Year in Spain, what would you say?
Well, If I had to answer this question few years ago I would have probably thought: no, there is not. But now, thanks to the amazing local people who shared their experiences with me, I can say YES!
Let's be a bit more specific. I am Spanish, and since I remember, my family and I have been eating 12 grapes every new years eve.
This tradition is followed by people in Spain but the use of fruits to welcome the new year is something relevant and common in different cultures around the world.
I first realised this in a very colloquial situation when I went to the supermarket and I noticed suddenly there were oranges everywhere!
If you go to a supermarket in Spain days before new years eve, you will find a lot of small individual packets with the 12 grapes ready for the event! However, if you go to a supermarket in an Asian country where they celebrate CNY, you will find the fruit section full of oranges.
Both cultures are using the fruit for new year's celebration as this practice is believed to attract good luck and fortune for the new year. The fruits are also believed to welcome prosperity into the home. The round shape of the fruits symbolizes coins or money; thus, having these fruits on New Year's Eve is a sign of prosperity and abundance for the household.
But, which role does the fruit play in the new year celebration? For both cultures the answer is the same: the fruit carries the meaning and is the way how we wish the best to our loved ones and we share this nice time of the year with them.
While in Spain we meet to eat the grapes together, in those countries with CNY celebrations people go to visit family members and they bring oranges with them. And what about the amount? As mentioned before, in Spain we eat 12 grapes, and for CNY people has to give an even number of oranges but never four!
So, do you eat any specific fruit during new year's celebration?
La cultura de una nación reside en los corazones y en el alma de su gente - MahatmaGandhi
The culture of a nation resides in the hearts and souls of its people - Mahatma Gandhi.
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