“Back in Bombay we’d make an effigy of an ‘old man’ that symbolized the old year and burn it at midnight,” says Stephanie Fernandes, an associate creative director at BBDO San Francisco. The burning symbolizes the passing of grievances from the old year and makes space for a new year to be born. “Everyone would gather around singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and then it would turn into a little party. Bombay is very cosmopolitan and was home to people of various faiths, therefore we’d have a ton of different festivals, but this was one that united across ages and faiths.”
United States: Watching the ball drop Millions of Americans gather around their television sets (or on the streets of Times Square, despite freezing temps) to
Spain: Eating 12 grapes The Spanish start off their new year by eating 12 grapes, which symbolize each strike of the clock. The tradition of las doce
India: Building a sculpture of an old man and burning it down “Back in Bombay we’d make an effigy of an ‘old man’ that symbolized