Every country has its own unique way to welcome the new year and wish for good luck. You might be familiar with the famous ball drop in New York City, but do you know of other New Year’s Eve traditions around the world?
Before stressing about your New Year’s resolutions, why not take some time to celebrate? Read on for 5 New Year’s Eve traditions from different cultural traditions to inspire your festivities this year.
Brazil: Wearing White
This Brazilian tradition came from the Candomblé religion. People used to wear white during rituals to seek peace and spiritual purification. And now this is continued on New Year’s Eve when people hope to attract peace and spiritual protection for the coming year by wearing white outfits.
Haiti: Soup Joumou
January 1st is a special day for Haiti. It is not only the start of a new year but also the day to commemorate Haitian revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines declaring the country’s independence from its French colonizers. For this special day, try following a recipe for a soup joumou, a squash-based soup with beef, carrots, turnips, potatoes, pasta, and more veggies.
Japan: Hatsuhinode
You might have heard of Hatsumode (first shrine visit) from popular media, but what to do on New Year’s when there is no shrine or temple in your area? No fear! Try Hatsuhinode instead by waking up at dawn to witness the first sunrise on New Year’s Day! This tradition is to welcome Toshigamisama, the deity of the New Year, for good fortune and happiness for the coming year.
Scotland: First Footing
Call your dark-haired friend or relative for a new year’s visit! Stemming back to the time of the invading Vikings in the 8th and 9th centuries, it is believed that the first person to enter a house, the “first foot”, can bring luck – or misfortune – for the year ahead. In Scottish tradition, good luck comes in the form of a tall, dark-haired man being the first footer. On the other hand, women, light-haired men, and redheads were seen as harbingers of ill fate.
Turkey and Greece: Smashing Pomegranates
Remember to grab a few pomegranates when you are doing your last-minute grocery haul next week! In both Turkey and Greece, people smash pomegranates into the floor or front door on this special day. The more seeds that burst out, the more good fortune you will acquire. The pomegranate is a sign of luck, prosperity, and fertility. It is also a sign of renewal and regeneration.
The 2022 Chicago Culture Holiday Shopping Guide is here! It’s time to refresh your cultural gear and gift your loved ones local-made cultural arts and crafts and much more! The Chicago Cultural Alliance is partnering with over 40 cultural heritage centers, museums, and heritage societies across Chicago’s neighborhoods and suburbs. With choices ranging from books, paintings, artisanal crafts, food and drink you are bound to find the perfect gift for your friends and family, or just for yourself!
Before we get into the gift shops, don’t forget to swing by one or more Holiday Markets!
Sat, Dec 3, 10am–5pm | Sun, Dec 4, 10am–4pm Julmarknad
Swedish American Museum 5211 N Clark St, Chicago, IL
Julmarknad is the Museum’s annual Christmas Bazaar, where traditional Scandinavian and modern handicrafts will be available for purchase. Visit the Children’s Museum for crafts, games, and a special visit from Santa. It is entertainment for the whole family and includes kaffestuga, Lucia processions, and folk dancers. FREE LEARN MORE HERE
Sat, Dec 10, 10am-5pm Native American Holiday Art & Gift Market
American Indian Center 3401 W Ainslie St, Chicago, IL
Want more Native American arts and crafts? Swing by the Holiday Art & Gift Market! This market will not only satisfy your gift shopping needs but will entertain you with live drum & dance exhibitions and an Indian taco sale! FREE
Sat, Dec 10, 11am-6pm Weihnachtsmarkt
DANK HAUS 4740 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL
Come to a warm indoor Weihnachtsmarkt with German-inspired Christmas shopping, Glühwein, food, music and more! There will be German food and drink for sale as you stroll through rows of festive stands. FREE LEARN MORE HERE
Sat, Dec 10, 11am-5pm; Sun, Dec 11, 11am-5pm Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art Holiday Maker’s Market
Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art 2320 W Chicago Ave Chicago, IL
Check out the Maker’s Market this year showcasing emerging & established creators to sell their work, grow their businesses, and join this vibrant community. $5 REGISTER HERE
6500 S Pulaski Rd Hours: Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm. Sun, 12pm-4pm.
The Balzekas’ Museum gift shop is filled with a huge variety of Lithuanian goods! Shop one-of-a-kind amber-made ornaments and jewelry imported straight from Lithuania, or pick up a history book or traditional children’s book from the shop. SHOP NOW
Level up your closet and know that your purchase supports a local charity, Caledonia Senior Living and Memory Care! While you’re at it, why not drink your whiskey or beverage of choice in style with these Chicago Scots-themed glasses? SHOP NOW
238 W 23rd St Hours: Wed and Fri, 9:30am-2pm. Sat and Sun, 10am-4pm.
Learn more about Chinese American history by picking up a book from the gift shop when you visit the Chinese American Museum! Or maybe learn to cook a few Chinese dishes for your holiday potluck with an authentic cookbook. SHOP NOW
Shop postcards, glassware, cookbooks, music, and more at the HAMOC! Check out this unique faceted clear crystal two-strand necklace donated by HAMOC Advisor Board member, Sandra McCollum. SHOP NOW
9603 Woods Dr, Skokie Hours: Wed-Sun, 10am-5pm.
Make your holiday season a meaningful one by browsing through the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center’s huge selection of local survivor stories. SHOP HERE
4626 N Knox Ave Hours: Fri, 4pm-8pm, and Sat, 10am-4pm.
Whether you are hungry for sweets from the Galway Bakers or savories from Winston, you can find your Irish favorites at the Irish American HeritageCenter Gift Shop. Their merchandise is ever-changing, so you should visit our Gift Shop frequently to see what’s new.
3001 Central St, Evanston Hours: Wed, 10am-5pm, and Sat, 10am-5pm.
This gift shop showcases the talent of Native artists and craftspeople from across America. Shop handmade crafts and accessories like these small wooden tokens featuring native art of animals and motifs for a stylistic addition to your home today! SHOP NOW
984 North Milwaukee Ave Hours: Tues, Thurs, Sat, 11am-4pm.
Decorate your Christmas tree this year with a beautiful handmade ceramic ornament! Check out this one with red flowers surrounded by smaller flowers and leaves. And find more Polish crafts, books, and other goods from the website! SHOP NOW
Shop merch printed with SSCAC’s colorful logo or pick up an iconic poster that documents a ‘magical moment’ in the visual arts community with more than 100 artists gathered at the South Side Community Art Center. SHOP NOW
5211 N Clark St
Hours (through Dec 30): Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm (Fri, Dec 17 extended hours to 8pm). Sat & Sun, 11am-4pm.
Start your new year right with a calendar featuring Swedish artists or Moomin! Want more choices featuring other Swedish artists? The Swedish Museum got you covered! There are even more books for the little ones to learn more about Norse mythology. SHOP NOW
190 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg
Hours: Tues-Fri, 10am-5pm. Sat, 10am-3pm.
Learn about native veterans through documentaries produced by the Trickster Cultural Center and browse through the gorgeous selection of paintings, statues, and jewelry made by Native artists! SHOP NOW
A gift shop full of everything art! Books, postcards, and posters featuring Ukrainian artists. Go visit the museum to see authentic pieces and bring back a print to post on your wall! SHOP NOW
On the note of giving, don’t forget you can also give to your local cultural institutions by purchasing a Membership to a small museum or making a donation when you visit!
Luci Creative is a full-service design studio that creates immersive environments for museums, corporate environments, and children’s interactive spaces. Working on large and small projects alike, the team at Luci expertly grow exhibit ideas from concept to completion. Guest speakers Rebecca Husk and Rachel Strack will highlight some of Luci’s recent exhibit project and discuss ways a professional exhibit design firm can partner with libraries and archives on projects.
RSVP by Friday, October 21st. Organizers will send registrants Zoom information shortly before the program.
Surinder Martignetti, Community Engagement Manager for See Chicago Dance
Frank Konrath, Media Specialist at See Chicago Dance
Kate Flynn, Portal Manager for Chicago Collections Consortium
Moderator:
Suzy Kahn Weinberg, Executive Producer of Big Shoulders Stories
Join Surinder Martignetti Frank Konrath from See Chicago Dance and Kate Flynn the Chicago Collections Consortium as they discuss the work of creating digital and hybrid events and exhibitions in the context of reevaluating our attitudes and understanding of these mediums. They’ll also consider how they can be thought of and seen as resources for future arts and cultural endeavors.
Patti Sherman-Cisler, Executive Director, Jewish Museum Milwaukee
Joe Imholte, Executive Vice President, Bakken Museum
Moderator:
Charity Counts, Executive Director, Association of Midwest Museums
In this session, speakers from two Midwest museums will share recent creative partnerships they’ve undertaken, and discuss the opportunities, challenges, and results of thinking creatively about collaborative projects.
Colleen McGaughey (she/her) is the director of development at the National Public Housing Museum, where she leads the strategic direction of the museum’s fundraising efforts with a focus on creative and community-centric approaches.
Mario Longoni
Board Member
Mario Longoni is a cultural anthropologist (“Lead Environmental Social Scientist”) in the Keller Science Action Center at the Field Museum. For over 20 years, he has worked with individuals and organizations to surface and activate cultural and natural assets (specific strengths and characteristics) to help communities meet the challenges they face.
Rob Fojtik
Board Member
Rob Fojtik is Vice President for Neighborhood Strategy at Choose Chicago, the city’s official tourism and convention promotion bureau. In this capacity, Rob oversees efforts to promote and support Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods to visitors from near and far. Programs include the award-winning Neighborhood Content Creator program that leverages resident-made digital content, and Chicago Alfresco, a $2.5 million placemaking initiative created in partnership with the Chicago Department of Transportation to transform public spaces into community plazas for outdoor enjoyment.
Before coming to Choose Chicago, Rob was a Senior Advisor to Mayor Lightfoot on economic development and international relations at City Hall, as well as LGTBQ+ affairs and the expanded outdoor dining program. In this role, he also worked to recommend and place over 150 civic leaders and residents onto City boards and commissions. Prior to government service in the Lightfoot administration, Rob ran her winning campaign in the crowded 2019 Chicago mayoral race as Chief of Staff. In past lives, Rob has worked as a public affairs manager for a Fortune 500 company downtown; had misadventures in management consulting, art sales, and personal cheffing; and spent time in Washington DC working for former Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Rob also served a one-year appointment at the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence as a policy advisor on Central and Eastern Europe. In this role, he was part of the NSC’s interagency process to develop a comprehensive sanctions regime on Russia as a consequence of its 2014 invasion of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.
After receiving his BA in Slavic Languages and Literature at Northwestern University, Rob lived and worked in the Czech Republic teaching English and tending bar before moving to Washington, D.C. to pursue a MA from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies (CERES). He enjoys cooking, learning foreign languages, hiking with his partner and their dog, and visiting Chicago’s many neighborhoods.
Paul Durica
Board Member
Dr. Paul Durica is the Director of Exhibitions at the Chicago History Museums and worked in a similar capacity at The Newberry Library. From 2015-2020, he served as the Director of Programs and Exhibitions with Illinois Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Prior to that he drew upon his work as a writer, researcher, and teacher to produce a series of free and interactive talks, walks, and reenactments focused on narratives from Chicago’s past that resonate with its present.
These public history programs led to collaborations with cultural institutions in the city such as the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, Chicago History Museum, Newberry Library, Chicago Architecture Foundation, Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Chicago Cultural Center among others.
Each program made use of both his original research and the skills of the arts organizations, community groups, local businesses, and publications that acted as my partners. Some of these programs, such as the full-scale reenactment of the Haymarket Affair in 2011, involved recruiting and directing over 300 volunteers and 1,000 participants.
To produce these programs successfully, he wrote grants; managed budgets; generated web content; worked closely with program partners of varying sizes and resources; and identified, engaged, and sustained a diverse multi-generational audience.
Lynessa Rico
Board Member
Dr. Lynessa M. Rico is the Associate Chair of the Business Psychology Department at the The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Chicago campus. She is also a business mentor at 1871.
Lynessa is a results-driven Strategic Consultant with over 25 years of experience enabling leaders to meet strategic business objectives by identifying and aligning business growth opportunities with strategic direction of culturally diverse organizations. By leveraging her strategic experience in identifying and impacting business growth opportunities and maximizing profits in retail firms and higher education institutions, Lynessa leads workshops focused on the creative mindset, women’s entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence, and the value and application of design thinking within entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Her services also include consulting with and educating leadership on emotional intelligence, the power of design thinking and the creative mindset, and leadership styles to support inclusive, creative workplaces. She has presented to leadership and innovation teams in small, mid-size, and Fortune 500 companies.
Lynessa received her undergraduate degrees in Marketing and Management from Wichita State University. She then went on to earn a master’s degree in Business Administration from Wichita State University with a focus in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. After earning her master’s degree, Lynessa received her doctorate in Business Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology where she successfully completed her dissertation titled, “The Relationship Between Personality Types and Color Preference for Color Combinations.” Her current research interests include women’s entrepreneurship, design thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and entrepreneurship self-efficacy.
Outside of work and research, Lynessa enjoys mentoring start-ups and judging pitch competitions. Lynessa currently resides in Chicago, Illinois with her four cats. She is an avid long-distance runner, having completed 5 full marathons (and counting), and enjoys watching musical theater.
Briana Thomas
Board Member
Briana Thomas is the Museum Associate at the Abrahamic Center for Cultural Education (a core member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance). She wears many hats including developing exhibition content, facilitating community programs (children and adults), liaising with visitor artists, and other responsibilities. Her previous experience in the nonprofit space includes her tenure as the Financial Empowerment Coordinator at AMERICORPS Sharing Life Center as well as engaging with the public at the Dallas Arboretum. Her past professional experience has remained rooted in marginalized communities. It is their needs,discourse and histories that she has routinely been tasked with protecting and showcasing in the face of poor infrastructure, and willing ignorance. Creating safe spaces is an ancestral practice she has inherited.
