WHEN it comes to ending the year right, several superstitions are practiced before the holidays are over.
Along with other beliefs, many people think that washing clothes on New Year's Day results in bad luck.
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Is it bad luck to do washing on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day?
One of the most common New Year superstitions is that no loads of laundry should be done on January 1.
Yet some go one step further and follow a tradition that any dirty clothes should remain untouched from Christmas all the way up until New Year’s Day.
According to an ancient myth, washing your clothing on these days could lead to "washing a loved one away" and could also bring about bad fortune, as doing laundry or the dishes around the New Year will wash away all your good luck.
Similar to laundry, people are urged not to do any sweeping, wiping or cleaning on New Year's Day, as it could cause a loved to be "swept away" or you could sweep away any upcoming good fortune.
Even emptying the bins should be avoided on New Year's Day.
Some superstitions say that removing anything from the house on the first day of the year could cause your prosperity to disappear.
In other cultures, it is also believed that whatever a person does on the first day of the year will be reflective of the next twelve months.
So, in this case, it means doing chores, such as laundry, will essentially bring with it a year of hard work.
Where did the superstition originate?
It is unknown where or when the tradition of avoiding housework on New Year's Day originated.
However, that hasn't stopped people from following it for years.
It is believed that this particular superstition is particularly observed in southern US states.
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What other superstitions do we associate with New Year’s Eve and Day?
On top of the strict laundry rule, some believe that you should not have empty pockets on New Year’s Eve, since it may be a sign of very low or no income in the year to come.
Another popular legend that people follow is the infamous kiss at midnight.
According to some, this is not just as a mark of affection, but in order to ensure our feelings remain for the other person over the next twelve months.
It is also believed that at the stroke of midnight, you should make as much noise as possible in order to scare the devil off from approaching.
Many cultures also think that if you step into the New Year leading with your right foot, you will start it out, well, on the right foot.
Other superstitions include hitting bread on your doors and walls to fend off evil spirits and bad luck, and taking a stroll with an empty suitcase to bring good fortune to travel.
Similarly, crying on the first day of the new year is thought to set the tone for the next 12 months, and eating 12 grapes at midnight is supposed to bring good luck for every month of the new year.
Also on the list of superstitions surrounding New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are:
Opening your front door before midnight to allow the old year to exit and the new year to enter
Stuffing your wallet with some cash represents a bank account bursting with money
Taking seven laps around your home to help you lose any negative energy you may have been harbouring
Eating black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year's Day will supposedly bring good luck and prosperity
According to folklore, if you wash clothes on New Year's Day, you'll be “washing for the dead” or washing a loved one away -- meaning someone in your household will die in the coming year. Get your laundry washed, dried, folded and put away by New Year's Eve.
Another superstition, this is American folklore: don't wash clothes on New Year's Day. If you clean clothes on Jan. 1, you may wash away a member of your family in the coming year — meaning someone will die. Not to mention sending a year of good fortune down the drain.
This Spanish tradition, practiced in various forms throughout Latin America, supposedly ensures you a year of good luck … if you're quick enough. Folklore says it may bring you bad luck if you don't finish on time.
It is believed that if you wash your hair on New Year's day, you'd also be washing away all your luck. It's somewhat similar to if you cut your hair, you'd be cutting your life shorter!
If you want to keep with Southern tradition, eating black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year's Day will supposedly bring good luck and prosperity, respectively, in the months ahead.
People believe that if you do clean on January 1, you end up sweeping away all of the good luck that's stored away in your home for that coming year, so you wait until January 2 to complete your household chores like laundry, dishes and tidying up instead.
According to the Eastern calendar, 2024 is the year of the Green Wooden Dragon. You must greet this creature with brightness because it is the most revered in China. Red, gold, silver, and white are the lucky colors for 2024. It is believed that the dragon will notice you in such an outfit and bring good luck.
Also washing clothes or dishes on New Year's Day is said to simply 'wash away good luck' and sweeping the floors could also sweep away good fortune that would enter your house in the coming year.
Greens, pork, and cornbread, as well as black-eyed peas, cowpeas, or beans, are some of the typical symbolic foods served on New Year's Day. When planning your dinner menu, add the Southern foods that some say bring good luck and avoid those that may do just the opposite in the new year.
Green. It is one of the 10 lucky colors for years that offers growth, renewal, and prosperity. Wearing green or displaying green decorations is believed to bring good luck and positive energy to the home.
This is an odd one. According to folklore, if you wash clothes on New Year's Day, you'll be “washing for the dead” or washing a loved one away -- meaning someone in your household will die in the coming year. Get your laundry washed, dried, folded and put away by New Year's Eve.
Eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight comes from Spain. While most participants expected it to help them find love in the new year, the 12 grapes are supposed to bring you luck. However, if you don't finish all 12 grapes before the bells finish chiming you might not be granted the good fortune.
Put that soap down! You could be washing your luck away…at least according to a Korean superstition that says you shouldn't bathe or shower on New Year's day.
That's why you'll be happy to hear that a common superstition worldwide is to avoid cleaning on New Year's Day. It turns out cleaning on New Year's Day, the day before, or even between Christmas and New Year's can bring you bad luck.
at night. The tradition has been passed down through generations, with many people following it without knowing the reason for the superstition. The general idea is that cleaning at night brings bad luck to the person who does it.
The superstitious amongst us claim that no laundry should be done on January 1, with some traditions claiming that pile of dirty clothes should remain untouched from Christmas until New Year's Day.
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