The Strangest New Year’s Rituals Colombians Perform to Welcome the New Year

In Colombia, the arrival of the New Year is not only celebrated with music, food, and family gatherings, but also with a wide variety of agüeros — popular rituals filled with symbolism that aim to attract good luck, prosperity, and well-being. Beyond the best-known traditions, there are lesser-known rituals that, although not everyone practices them, remain alive in different households across the country and reflect Colombian creativity and collective imagination.

These beliefs, passed down from generation to generation, are usually performed at midnight on Dec. 31 and combine superstition, hope, and popular tradition.

Household rituals to attract money and stability in the New Year

One of the most curious rituals is placing three potatoes under the bed. Before midnight, three potatoes are arranged: one completely peeled, one unpeeled, and one half-peeled. When the clock strikes 12 midnight, a person randomly picks one without looking.

According to tradition, the peeled potato predicts financial difficulties, the unpeeled potato symbolizes prosperity and abundance, while the half-peeled potato represents moderate financial stability in the coming year.

Another uncommon ritual is sweeping the house right at midnight. Those who practice this believe that sweeping helps remove bad energies accumulated during the year that is ending, leaving the home clean and ready to welcome new opportunities. In some cases, people sweep from the inside of the house toward the main door as a symbol of closing cycles.

Placing a banknote inside a shoe is another less popular but persistent tradition. It involves keeping a bill — preferably of high value — inside the shoe during the New Year’s countdown, with the belief that it will attract financial abundance and job stability in the months ahead.

Colors, objects, and symbolism for the new cycle

Colored candles are another ritual that, although not widely practiced, still appears in some Colombian homes. Each color carries a specific meaning: Red is associated with love and passion; green with health; yellow with money and prosperity; and blue with peace and harmony. Lighting them at midnight is seen as a way to focus intentions for the New Year.

Among the rituals that remain most widespread is the use of yellow underwear, considered a symbol of abundance, success, and good fortune. Although it is more well-known than other rituals, it remains essential for many Colombians and is sometimes combined with less common practices.

There are also more discreet traditions, such as placing coins in bowls of water, writing down wishes and storing them in specific places around the house, or wearing or using new work-related items, all with the hope of attracting professional stability.

Tradition, faith, and collective hope

While many Colombians perform these rituals symbolically or even playfully, for others, they represent acts filled with faith and optimism. Beyond their actual effectiveness, these practices reflect a collective need to close chapters, leave negativity behind, and begin the New Year with hope.

In Colombia, agüeros — even the strangest ones — are part of a rich cultural tradition that blends superstition, creativity, and a desire for well-being, turning the arrival of the New Year into a moment filled with meaning and expectation.