Spending New Year’s Eve in Cuba is a great way to get to know the people and traditions of this beautiful country. Since Cubans not only celebrate the start of a new year but also the triumph of the Revolution on 1st of January it is one of the biggest festivals the country has to offer. It is impossible to get away from the singing, dancing and the music always prevalent even on ordinary days but especially so when there is a party. Many Cubans will celebrate at home which can become a huge gathering where traditionally a roast pig is served. There are often free concerts in the main squares of many towns and bigger dance parties in nightclubs and on beaches where all Cuban dances can be seen although these type of parties can be very touristic by nature. Nonetheless, it is a great way to practise the Cuban dances you know and dance away to the sounds of authentic Cuban rhythms in an atmosphere that seems impossible to copy to other parts of the planet.
Cubans generally enjoy collective eating at New Year’s Eve and large official dinner parties were held especially in the post-revolutionary years on this date. In recent years this tradition is followed mainly by the biggest dinner gala at Cathedral Square in Old Havana and more and more restaurants and nightclubs will organise special dinner parties and shows as well to celebrate this occasion. Outside of well-known international features such as lighting fireworks, Cuba has many traditions on its own which makes this day even more fun to celebrate in Cuba. One of the traditions seen is the practice of eating 12 grapes at midnight representing the 12 months of the year which are then washed down with a sparkling alcoholic drink, traditionally sidra.
The official ceremony starts when a 12-gun salute is sounded from the Cabaña Fortress at which point other traditions are seen such as the custom of throwing a bucket of dirty water with which the whole house has been cleaned into the street, representing all the negative aspects of the past year that are being expelled. Other customs include an envelope of dollars that Cubans put into their own mailbox to attract prosperity for the coming year or walking around the block while waving goodbye to neighbours and holding a suitcase if they want to travel to a place abroad in the new year.
