The Luck and Lore of New year

New Year's Eve is a strange night, seemingly suspended between what has been and what is yet to come. As midnight approaches, the future feels close enough to touch, even if none of us can know quite what it holds. Perhaps that is why we have long surrounded the turning of the year with a sense of ceremony, with fireworks and lucky charms, curious rituals and wishes sent skywards.

Across Europe, the traditions differ. Some are centuries old, others have changed almost beyond recognition. In Edinburgh, Rome and Munich, each offers its own way of saying goodbye to one year and welcoming the next.

Follow the fire to Edinburgh

There can be few more fitting places to welcome the New Year than The Balmoral. The hotel’s Hogmanay Ball has all the ingredients of a great Scottish celebration: traditional pipers, tartan, champagne and a lively ceilidh. When the fireworks start, pause for breath and take in the views over Edinburgh Castle, before the band strikes up again and it’s back to the dance floor.

But to understand how we got here, we must go back to the beginning. And the beginning starts with fire. Long before Hogmanay became one of Europe’s great celebrations, fire held a special place in Scottish midwinter traditions. Burning juniper was believed to cleanse the home and keep evil spirits at bay, with the smoke carried from room to room before doors were opened to let the old year out and the new one in. Known as saining, this ancient practice was a way of clearing the way for a fresh start.

Today, fire remains at the heart of Hogmanay. On 29 December, thousands of torchbearers gather at The Meadows for the Torchlight Procession before winding through the streets. This spectacular river of fire marks the opening of the four-day celebrations, carrying the ancient symbol of renewal into the city.

Out with the old in Rome

On New Year’s Eve, Rome becomes one enormous street party. It is noisy, sociable and gloriously unrestrained, with revellers filling the piazzas and fireworks lighting the sky. But beneath the revelry is a collection of beliefs about how to leave the past behind and invite good fortune into the year ahead.

Perhaps the most literal way was once to throw the old year out of the window. The tradition of lancio dei cocci, or “throwing broken things”, saw unwanted crockery and household objects hurled into the street at the stroke of twelve. The gesture was simple – out with the old, make room for the new. The custom has all but disappeared but its spirit feels just as fitting for a Roman New Year today. At Hotel de la Ville, Cielo’s rooftop terrace draws a glamorous crowd, where old friendships are held close while leaving space for the promise of new connection, all with the Eternal City glittering below. 

Here, dinner gives way to champagne and cocktails, conversation spills onto the dancefloor and the hours become easy to lose as they slip towards midnight, when a toast is raised to everything that has been and everything still to come. And if fortune is on the guest list too, be sure to wear something red – in Italy, it is traditionally thought to bring luck and prosperity.

A fortune shared in Munich

For some, New Year’s Eve is about being surrounded by thousands of people. In Munich, it is about the people who matter most. In the Monforte Royal Suite at The Charles Hotel, an intimate dinner for family or friends becomes the setting for a night to remember. Perhaps it is a proposal, the first New Year with a new baby, a family reunited after time apart, or simply a chance to celebrate with the people who have always been there.

Over dinner, the city beyond the windows provides its own spectacle, with views towards the Frauenkirche and the domed Justizpalast. Then the final hour draws closer. Glasses are filled, everyone steps onto the private terrace and the fireworks crack and colour the sky. As the final moments of the year fade away, one question remains: what will the next one bring?

Luckily, Munich has an old tradition for finding an answer: Bleigießen. For centuries, small pieces of lead have been melted over a flame and dropped into cold water, where the shapes they formed were read as omens for the year ahead. A heart might promise love, a horseshoe good fortune, while a ring could suggest marriage or a new partnership. Today, wax and tin have replaced the lead, but the ritual remains.

Of course, there may be no way to truly know what the year will bring, but there is something appealing about beginning it exactly as you mean to go on: together.