Days 133 and 134: A New New Year
Valencia does New Year’s Eve differently, and I’m here for it
As is clear from my other posts in this publication, I am in love with España. Things (almost all of them) are different here in all the right ways, and how New Years is done is just another example.
In the US, this time of year is all about changing habits, behaviors, and lifestyle choices to make things “better.” We focus on how we can exert some control over our lives to push us in the “right” direction. It is very competitive (if not with others then with ourselves) and action-oriented with a side of guilt or shame for whatever it was we’d been doing “wrong” in the prior year.
In Spain, the focus appears to be more on setting the stage for good things to happen:
- Gifting loved ones with red underwear (gifting, not buying for oneself)
- Eating 12 grapes in the first 12 seconds after midnight to bring luck in all 12 months of the year ahead
These customs around what happens at the stroke of midnight are all about bringing luck into your life and the lives of those around you. That’s it — luck. No push or pull, just being open to what’s to come.
31 December 2022, aka Day 133
We had the pleasure of ringing in the year with new friends who *just* moved to Valencia days before. They brought additional customs with them, either from North Carolina or Bolivia, I’m not sure which.
- Exchanging money to welcome wealth
- Running up and down stairs to welcome travel
Given all the traveling we’d all done already this year, we opted to skip the stairs.
We did hold on to some of our traditions. We had bubbly (Cava, of course) and made a fast toast at midnight. Bill and I shared a kiss. And gathering with friends at all is something I cherish about New Year’s Eve.
1 January 2023, aka Day 134
On the other side of the flip, things were similar-but-different as well. I accepted an invite to an “Annual New Year’s Day Swim” here at Playa de Malvarrosa. While I had no intention of going all the way in, I walked down the promenade and cheered my friend on as she went in for a second time. There were several other brave souls on the beach that day, but unlike the Polar Bear Plunges I’ve witnessed in the past, the Mediterranean Sea was welcoming enough for swimmers to stay in and frolic before returning to the beach.
There is something compelling about this tradition that *might* get me in the water next year. For 2023, only my feet shared in the experience.
I did take time to reflect on my accomplishments and key moments of 2022 at the end of the day. This is a custom of mine that typically precedes a goal setting exercise. This year, I let that second half go. 2023 will bring with it whatever it will bring, and maybe my red underwear wearing, grape eating, money exchanging, friend connecting activities on New Year’s Eve will bring me some luck along the way. Embracing the customs and relaxing into life are ways in which I’m feeling Spain work its magic on me.
