New Year's 2013: Common New Year's Superstitions

Because January 1 is the first day of the new year, we have drawn a connection between what we do on that day and our fate throughout the rest of the year. Here are some of the ways we attempt to guarantee a good outcome through our acts on that portentous first day:

Kissing at midnight and ringing in the new year with loved ones

Kissing at midnight is said to hold the power of love and affection for that person throughout the entire year. Many people hold parties well into the night to spend the first few hours of the new year having fun with friends, symbolizing the fun and excitement that will be had during the year.

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Cocktail hour

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The 'first footer'

The first visitor on New Year's Day is believed to bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor is a tall dark-haired man. The first footer should knock and be let in rather than unceremoniously use a key. After greeting those in the house and dropping off whatever small tokens of luck he has brought with him, he should leave by a different door than the one through which he entered.

Stock up on food and necessities.

The new year must not be seen in with bare cupboards, lest that be the way of things for the year. Larders must be topped up and plenty of money must be placed in every wallet in the home to guarantee prosperity.

Do not let anything leave the house on January 1.

Nothing is to leave the house on the first day of the new year. If you've presents to deliver on New Year's Day, leave them in the car overnight. Don't so much as shake out a rug or take out the trash.

Some people soften this rule by saying it's okay to remove things from the home on New Year's Day provided something else has been brought in first. The year must begin with something's being added to the home before anything subtracts from it.

Auld Lang Syne

The song, "Auld Lang Syne," is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year. An old Scottish tune, "Auld Lang Syne" literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good old days."