How many European New Year traditions do you know? Well, the holiday is just around the corner. If you have a European girlfriend you’ve met online, it would make the occasion extra special if you do some version of a New Year tradition from her country.

European New Year Traditions You Need To Know About

Below is a list you can refer to. If some of the New Year traditions are impossible to do, then you can make it into a topic for conversation. Either way, your girl will be more than happy that you made the effort to get to know her culture better:

Belarus

From December 25th until January 7th, a traditional winter festival called Kaliady is celebrated. Unmarried women gather and place a pile of corn in front of them. A rooster is, then, let go. If the rooster stops on a specific woman’s pile, it means that she will get married in the new year.

Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, a dish called banitza is prepared on the first day of the new year. It resembles a cheese pie with a lucky charm inside. People would put coins or messages of good fortune. Whoever finds the charms inside the pie is believed to be blessed during the new year.

Moldova

Moldovans take part in a dance called Ursul during New Year’s Eve. Ursul means “Bear Dance”. Locals would dress up as bears and dance around. In the past, a real bear was said to be involved. The practice was said to purify the soil for the year to come.

Romania

In the morning of the first day of the new year, Romanians farmers would head to their barns and talk to their animals. Romanian believe that on this one day, the animals have the power to express themselves through speech.

There are plenty more New Year traditions that you can search on the internet. This list, however, should get you started. Which tradition is the most interesting to you? Don’t forget to practice the traditions that you think you can do to make your girl happy. For more cultural posts, check out more from our blog.