The holiday season is coming to an end and you will probably be eating tamales for weeks to come. But the next big party is New Year’s Eve. Honestly, NYE is rather overwhelming if you are Latinx because we tend to go all out. There are traditions that go way back to the year of el caldo but millennials may be doing things a little bit differently these days. Here’s a list of Latinx NYE traditions and how millennials are making them Instagram worthy.
Colored Underwear
If you aren’t wearing the right colored underwear on NYE, Latinos will legitimately be worried about you and the year ahead when the clock strikes midnight. They don’t care if it’s breathable cotton or if it’s from Victoria’s Secret — color is key. Latinos stick to the two main colors: red or yellow. Yellow is supposed to bring you good luck or fortune and say adios to Tinder because red will bring you love.
What Would Millennials Do?
Fashion bloggers will help you score deals on your lucky underwear. They will tell you how much they love certain collections and then offer you a promo code to use at checkout. You may even come across a blogger with a giveaway! All you have to do is like their post, follow them, repost their post, and finally tag three of your friends.
Lucky Lentejas
Everyone knows lentils are super good for you. Not only to do lentils have high levels of protein and few calories, but they also bring you a prosperous new year. Just imagine the possibilities! When the clock strikes midnight you’ll either be eating lentils like it’s your job, putting a handful of them in your pockets, or running around the house throwing them on the floor.
What Would Millennials Do?
Two words: Food bloggers. Millennials love to take pics of their food. Not only will they be having a midnight photoshoot on NYE but they’ll most likely be sharing tips on how to prepare them and discussing their health benefits.
Yo Quiero, Yo Quiero Dinero
If you experienced FOMO on a regular basis this past year then you need to grab some dollar bills or silver coins and hold onto them for dear life on NYE. Latinos have this tradition up their financial sleeves: get yourself a handful of coins (or dollar bills) and put them in your shoes, place them at the front door, or hide them around the house. By doing this, you’ll have economic growth all year round.
What Would Millennials Do?
Sadly, many millennials are in debt and avocados are freaking expensive. But there’s good news. Brands are aware of this and they know that a millennial’s opinion matters. So millennials can stuff one shoe with coins and the other with popular skincare products (or another favorite product). They’ll post it on Instagram with #Ad for the opportunity to become a brand ambassador and possibly make some money.
Traveling
If you’re Latino, you’ve probably spent A LOT of time with the family these past couple of weeks, so a relaxing vacation sounds really good. Grab a suitcase and run around the block at midnight. Some people just run in a circle but if you want to travel Daddy Yankee style across the globe, go for the full block.
What Would Millennials Do?
Everyone knows you need sponsors to travel the world and take fabulous Instagram pics. So millennials will pack their suitcase with endless amounts of makeup products, for example, and record themselves running around the block with their suitcase. When they finish running, they’ll go up to their room and do a makeup tutorial with each item in their suitcase. #Mua
Let It Burn
No one likes bad vibras. That’s why on NYE Latinos get dolls or write lists of negative experiences that happened over the past year and they light it on fire (think Usher in the “Let It Burn” video). This means that bad energy is leaving and there is room for new positive energy to enter their lives.
What Would Millennials Do?
Nothing removes or blocks negative energy as much as crystals and essential oils do. Crystals are a magical thing and millennials love to wear pretty rocks to protect their souls from bad spirits. They also use essential oils to cleanse their space. If you want to live a #blessed life, get on board with aromatherapy and shiny stones.
Ponte a Limpiar
It’s the morning of NYE and you need to get your beauty rest because you’ll be up all night ringing in the New Year. But if you’re Latinx, sleeping in doesn’t exist. You know your mom is going to wake you up at the butt crack of dawn to clean the house. Latinx either spend the day cleaning the house or sweep right before midnight. This ensures that all the bad juju is removed from the property.
What Would Millennials Do?
Millennials don’t clean floors, a Roomba does. So they’ll sit back and relax while their iRoomba does all the work. #NetflixandClean
Bucket of Water
It’s a new year and a new you. For Latinx, this means throwing a bucket full of water out the window. Doing so gives us a sense of revival. Yes, you can clean all day and sweep before midnight but throwing water out of the window is the icing on the cake. Latinos do everything they can to remove bad energy from their lives.
What Would Millennials Do?
Throwback to the Ice Bucket Challenge of 2014. Millennials will most likely have their primos standing outside while they throw ice-cold water on them at midnight. And if the Ice Bucket Challenge isn’t cool anymore, I’m sure the new generation will come up with a similar challenge.
Little Lamb
Just when you think Latinx have plenty of ways to bring prosperity into their lives, enter the lamb. It can be stuffed, ceramic, wood, plastic, whatever. It just has to be a lamb. Place the lamb on the mantle, on the Christmas tree, or above the front door. Doing this will basically bring more money into your home.
What Would Millennials Do?
Bitmojis are a big part of a millennial’s daily life. So what they can do is have their bitmoji holding a baby lamb. Let’s face it, social media is everything to the younger generation so it makes sense to have lambs all over their Instagram page to bring them internet prosperity.
Marriage Proposals
Is it just me or like is everyone getting engaged? The old traditional would suggest doing three squats on NYE. Supposedly it will get you a husband and finally get your tias off your back at next year’s posada. But if not getting yourself a husband in the new year isn’t a major priority — we hear you girl — then feel free to just do the squats for yourself!
What Would Millennials Do?
Join a dating app. A recent survey found that there is a rise in online dating during the winter months. So at midnight, millennials will bust out their phones and swipe right three times.
12 Grapes at Midnight
I feel like the tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight is the most popular. Each grape represents good luck for each month of the year. Also, you’re supposed to make a wish for each grape that you eat. This tradition started in Spain but has spread throughout Latin America. While Americans are downing champagne and kissing each other at midnight, Latinos are stuffing their faces with grapes.
What Would Millennials Do?
NYE usually involves alcohol (if you’re over 21 of course). And which alcohol contains grapes? Wine. Rather than eat grapes, millennials are drinking wine like it’s their civic duty. According to a report by the Wine Market Council, millennials are annually drinking about 42 percent of all wine consumed. So since you can’t sneak grapes into the club, millennials should just order a glass of wine and chug it at midnight.
