56 Unit 04 | It’s traditional Read the article about four different New Year’s celebrations. Three of the celebrations share a common purpose. What is it? READING 8 1 to poison one’s fate: seine Zukunft gefährden (wörtlich: sein Schicksal vergiften) 2 to spark a contest: einen Wettbewerb auslösen 3 to settle a grievance: einen Streit/Konflikt lösen/bereinigen 4 to strengthen community bonds: den Zusammenhalt der Gemeinschaft stärken Happy New Year! You may plan your New Year’s celebrations months in advance, do something impromptu or may not want to celebrate at all, but here are a few of the more unusual New Year’s traditions around the world. A Get your grapes It’s not nice to tell someone they’ve got a big mouth, but in Spain at New Year a big mouth would be an advantage. This is because the first 12 seconds of the Spaniards’ New Year are spent eating all 12 of the ‘miraculous’ grapes that symbolise 12 lucky months ahead. Rare is the Spaniard who will risk poisoning their fate1 for the coming year by skipping the grapes, one for each stroke of midnight. Eating the grapes pretty much guarantees starting off the year with a little adrenaline rush, and most likely some laughs. While the goal of getting the 12 grapes down in time can spark a contest2 of who is ‘más macho’ around the table, the biggest challenge is more likely not to gag as you cram them in your mouth and try to swallow while laughing hysterically. B Pants party Did you know the pair of underpants you’re wearing at New Year could bear year-long consequences? This is why yellow underwear is flying off the shelves these days in Chile, where tradition says that it brings prosperity and love if you wear it on New Year’s Eve. “The yellow underwear is for love, luck, money and so that this year will go well for everyone,” says Gladys Leal, a saleswoman at a lingerie stand in Santiago. This time of year, she specialises in yellow undergarments in all shapes and sizes, for women and men alike. But there’s a catch, according to her colleague, Jesica Silva.“The underwear has to be given as a gift to bring luck.” “Yellow,” she explains, “represents the golden rays of abundance and prosperity.” Some even say the undies should be worn inside-out to guarantee a year full of passion. Many Latin American countries, including Mexico, Peru and Ecuador, have this tradition, with slight variations. Some say you should wear red undies for love, yellow for money. Before midnight, many people change into specific coloured underwear, depending on the area of life in which they’re seeking improvement. C A peaceful New Year? At the end of the year, we try to forget the bad stuff that’s happened to us and settle our differences. Each year, one area of Peru hosts the festival of Takanakuy, where there is music, dancing, drinking, eating and brightly coloured costumes. It’s much like any number of festivals in Latin America – except this holiday gathering ends with a series of public fist fights. Entire towns congregate around sporting arenas to watch members of the community fight each other. People of all ages enter the ring, from young children to the elderly, women and men alike. The purpose of Takanakuy is to settle grievances3 built up over the year in a public forum. The festival tries to resolve conflict, strengthen community bonds4 and, hopefully, result in greater peace. Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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