There’s a number of things happening in Colombia on new year’s eve you
may find strange. They kinda make perfect sense though once you have them
explained.
Yellow underwear
You may have seen an impressive amount of yellow panties and boxer shorts in your local Exito already. They are not particularly meant to be sexy, but worn on new year’s eve as something that gives good luck for the coming year. The underwear is supposed to be worn inside out.
Twelve grapes
Another relatively awkward thing Colombians do is stuff their mouth with grapes. Twelve of them to be exact. For every time the bell tolls a grape enters the mouth. For every grape you may make a wish for the new year.
Running around with a suitcase
If you see Colombians running on the street with suitcases just after midnight that’s them expressing their wish to travel this year.
Stuffing pockets with lentils
The lentils in the pockets are to evoke a prosperous year
Exploding life-size dolls
Many Colombian families will have made or bought a life-size doll looking like a man or a woman. The doll is filled with flamable material and fireworks. Whenever you see someone setting the doll on fire make sure to keep a safe distance, because you can never tell how destructive the explosion is going to be.