The New Year holiday is an elaborate party to celebrate the hanging of a new calendar. But different traditions have grown around the celebration in different countries. For example, in Brazil you should dress all in white for luck. With one exception.
While some of us don our most shimmery dresses for the New Year's party—or our comfiest pajamas to celebrate with a low-key night in—Brazilians take a much simpler, minimalistic approach to ringing in the New Year: The dress code is for all-white attire, but the color of your underwear is thought to determine your arena of luck in the new year. Want to find love? Pick the pink panties. Financial security may be attained by wearing yellow undergarments, and green is for good health.
Not mentioned is the fact that if you get really drunk and fall into the ocean or spill beer on your white clothing, everyone will instantly know what color underwear you're wearing. Read about nine other New Year traditions from around the world at Mental Floss.
None of the traditions in the list hold a candle (so to speak) to the Netherlands' explosive New Year tradition of turning milk cans into cannons.
(Image credit: Flickr user nick v)