Happy New Year!

New Year’s is not only a time where we gather together and celebrate the ball drop, we also take time to reflect on the events, experiences, and journeys we have had over the previous year; and look forward to the new opportunities events, and journeys we get to experience in the upcoming year. This past year has been one of the most unprecedented and eventful years we have had in a long time, and while we take our time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future, let us share with you some new years traditions from around the world. 
Spain
In Spain, with 12 seconds remaining until the New Year, people eat 12 green grapes to bring good luck in the coming year. It’s thought to be bad luck if you can’t eat them all by the final midnight chime. But gobble them down in time and 12 months of good fortune will come your way.

FranceThe French usually ring in the New Year with a huge feast, commonly know as le réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre. The meal is full of traditional, decadent eats, including foie gras, oysters, lobster and escargot.
ItalyItalians love lentils for their coin-like shape, symbolizing luck and prosperity. A New Year’s Eve dinner usually features this legume to bring on luck in the coming year. Pork is often added to lentil dishes in the form of cotechino, a spicy sausage, or zampone, a deboned pig trotter, to represent the plenitude of the land.
Australia
Australians celebrate the New Year with midnight fireworks in cities and towns throughout the country. Firework displays are launched off bridges, such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, from jetties along the beaches, and on river banks, with the lights of the fireworks sparkling off the water. In a typical year, people pack picnic baskets and arrive hours early to get the best viewing spots.

However you choose to celebrate, we wish you all the best for the new year, and look forward to a new year full of opportunities to learn, grow, and explore with Team ELM.