世界上最稀奇古怪的新年傳統

Spain

At midnight on New Year’s Eve， it’s customary[慣例的] in Spain to quickly eat 12 grapes one at each stroke of the clock. Each grape supposedly signifies good luck for one month of the coming year. In Madrid， Barcelona， and other Spanish cities， people gather in the main squares to gobble[狼吞虎咽] their grapes together and pass around bottles of cava.

Finland

It’s a longtime Finnish tradition to predict the coming year by casting[澆鑄] molten tin into a container of water， and then interpreting the shape the metal takes after hardening. A heart or ring shape means a wedding in the New Year; a ship forecasts travel; and a pig shape signifies plenty of food.

Panama

Effigies[(用木、紙等制作的)肖像] of well-known people are traditionally burned in New Year’s bonfires[篝火] in Panama. The figures can include everyone from television characters like Ugly Betty to political figures like Fidel Castro. The effigies represent the old year; immolating[為祭神而用火燒死] them is meant to drive off evil spirits for a fresh New Year’s start.

西班牙

西班牙有一個傳統，就是在除夕午夜(鐘響時)快速吃下12顆葡萄——每敲一下吃一顆。一顆葡萄代表來年一個月的好運氣。在馬德里、巴塞羅那和其他西班牙城市，人們聚集在主廣場，一邊狼吞虎咽地吃葡萄，一邊分享一瓶又一瓶的卡瓦酒(一種西班牙起泡酒)。

芬蘭

芬蘭有一個歷史悠久的傳統，用以預測來年狀況——人們將熔化的錫澆鑄入一個裝水的容器中，然后根據金屬變硬后的形狀進行分析。心型或戒指型代表新年將迎來一場婚禮;船型預示旅行;豬型則意味著豐衣足食。

巴拿馬

在巴拿馬的新年篝火大會中，人們會按照傳統燃燒名人的肖像。肖像從電視人物“丑女貝蒂”到政治人物菲德爾·卡斯特羅，應有盡有。這些肖像代表過去的一年，焚燒它們意味著驅走惡靈，開始全新的一年。