5 Must-Try New Year Traditions in the Philippines

New Year’s is a time of celebration and many countries have their own New Year traditions.

In the Philippines, Filipinos also have their own special traditions. They spend most of the day celebrating the holiday and relaxing at home with their families.

New Year holds a special place in many Filipinos’ hearts because not only are they greeting the New Year with family, but they are also greeting the New Year by practicing passed down traditions and superstitious beliefs.

This means celebrating a unique blend of Spanish, Catholic, and Chinese influences from when the Philippines was a colony of Spain. Many Filipinos believe these traditions and superstitious beliefs bring good luck and positive energy to their homes.

So if you’re planning to visit the country during the New Year, you might need to know how Filipinos celebrate New Year traditions in the Philippines.

Without further ado, here are a few of the Filipino New Year traditions:

Eating sticky rice

Practiced among many Filipino families, they believe eating sticky rice cakes such as bibingka (baked rice cake), biko (sweet rice cake), and tikoy (Chinese New Year’s cake) will bring the family closer together and make their bonds stronger.

In Filipino-Chinese culture, eating sticky rice also symbolizes having good fortune sticking to you for the rest of the year. Even if you don’t believe in the superstition of receiving good luck, this is a good way to enjoy eating sweet Filipino desserts during the New Year.

You’ll find these food items commonly sold from local restaurants and in grocery stores. Catering options are also available for this special occasion to honor the holiday.

Eating long noodles

Borrowed from Chinese culture and tradition, many Filipinos believe eating long noodles will bring long life, good luck, and equally good health. But take note chicken is excluded from the noodles. Instead, it is replaced with seafood.

During the New Year, chicken and fish are known to be symbols of scarcity, so Filipinos usually steer clear of these types of meat to avoid attracting bad luck.

While not everyone in the Philippines follows this tradition, this proves that Filipinos place big importance when it comes to their food culture.

There are several variations of long noodles that Filipinos eat during the New Year and each household has its own special version with different ingredients. But the most popular dish found on the dinner table is the traditional Filipino pancit canton.

Making noise

During New Year’s Eve, every country lights up an extravagant display of colorful fireworks for the people to see.

It’s the same in the Philippines. There are also grand fireworks displays during midnight. But cover your ears because in Filipino New Year tradition, they make as much noise as possible. They light up their own firecrackers and play noisemakers to turn the volume up.

They believe the loud noise will scare away bad ghosts and evil spirits and invite new energy inside their homes.

Common firecrackers used during New Year’s are judas belt (firecrackers tied together with a string), super lolo, kwitis (from the Spanish word cohetes for rocket), great bawang (garlic), etc.

Filipino children also play with watusi (dancing firecrackers) by scratching the firecracker against concrete surfaces and cemented floors.

But because there has been a high record of firecracker-related incidents that resulted in serious injury or even death, the government has strictly banned the usage of these firecrackers.

Instead, they encourage people to buy pailaw (consumer pyrotechnics) firecrackers such as butterfly, roman candles, sparklers, trompillo, whistle devices, etc. It’s a much safer alternative.

Opening doors and windows

To welcome the New Year, some Filipino households open all their windows and doors. They practice this to welcome positive energy into their homes and hopefully bring good luck for the rest of the year.

Opening their homes symbolizes warmth and welcomes any positive energy that comes across their residence.

The day before the New Year, they also clean the house. Whether it’s sweeping the floor or throwing out old things, many Filipinos place great importance on following this tradition.

They believe that by cleaning their homes, they are removing the old energy from the past year in order to open new space to attract new energy. It’s another superstition they believe will bring them good luck for the New Year.

However, on New Year’s Day itself, they’re not allowed to clean anything. Sweeping and cleaning the house during New Year’s Day means they wipe away all the good luck that came in during New Year’s Eve.

12 round fruits

Another Filipino New Year tradition heavily influenced by Chinese culture is preparing 12 round fruits on the table. Round objects are believed to be a symbol of prosperity and fortune.

Apples, oranges, grapes, longans, and persimmons are just some of the fruits used to prepare for the New Year. They are typically eaten after finishing the main meal.

However, fruits with spikes or thorns are avoided, such as jackfruit, durian, and pineapple. Thorns are represented as problems or conflicts.

It’s also acceptable to give a basket of round fruits if you visit a Filipino household during the New Year.

Welcoming the New Year the Right Way

Every culture has its own traditions and beliefs to welcome the New Year. And the Philippines is no different. They love to celebrate the New Year at home with their loved ones.

While it’s not really proven any of these traditions hold weight to attract good luck or good health, it’s the belief of the Filipinos that makes these traditions special. It brings a sense of connection with their ancestors who lived before them.

And by honoring these traditions, Filipino families pass down these practices and superstitions forward to the next generation.

Are you ready to welcome the New Year with someone special? If not, then this is the perfect opportunity to start on your New Year’s resolution. Re-ignite your dating profile and start meeting new people.

There are many beautiful foreign women looking for love and a serious relationship. Who knows, you might find one from across the globe!