Yellow underwear. Twelve grapes. A run around the block with the suitcase in tow.
Venezuelans know how to celebrate, and when it’s New Year’s Eve, they do it better than anyone. 
Everyone wears their best for the occasion—including new yellow underwear for the women–as families gather for the traditional foods. (No wonder I could purchase yellow underwear from my car window at stoplights during December.)
At midnight people eat twelve grapes for health. If they hope to travel in the coming year, they run around the block with a suitcase at the strike of midnight. If they are single—and hope not to be much longer—then they eat the grapes under the kitchen table (if there is still room). The neighbors on our Venezuelan block met out in the street to embrace and wish each other a “Feliz Ano Neuvo”, leaving old differences behind to begin the year with a clean slate.
And the food and fireworks! My favorite foods were the “hallacas”—like a tamale on steroids–and “pan de jamon”—a yeast bread with tasty delights rolled in it. Everyone’s grandma makes the best hallacas—thankfully it’s also a tradition to share them. And there were enough fireworks at midnight to create a smoke cloud that made it look like a war zone.
The New Year’s Eve traditions in Venezuela say goodbye to the old year and greet the new one with hope and anticipation. Our New Year’s Eve celebrations in the states just don’t compare. Each year we lived in Venezuela I could sense the hope of new beginnings. A hope for things to be different.
God knew that we needed that—a chance to start over. New beginnings are a gift from God woven into the rhythm of our lives. He gave days that come to an end—thank goodness—followed by a fresh beginning every morning. Each new month brings hope of a new season. And if those “reboots” aren’t enough, he gives us the hope of beginning a whole new year.
And thankfully, new beginnings don’t just happen according to the calendar. Because of Christ, we always have the hope of a new life (Rom 6:4), new mind, new heart and new attitudes. (Eph. 4:23-24) He gifted us with a new beginning for a new self in Him whenever we need to say goodbye to the old and embrace the new.
There are lots of new beginnings worth celebrating.
So whether you are eating “hallacas” with friends in Venezuela, or eating cabbage and black eye peas in the U.S., I pray that you enjoy the gift of new beginnings.
Enjoy the gift of beginning a new year. A new day. A new life in Him.
I plan on making some “pan de jamon” (Venezuelan bread roll) for our New Year’s Eve celebration. And watch out, because I might even run around the block with a suitcase.
Feliz Ano Nuevo!
