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As the clock strikes midnight on December 31, people across Mexico welcome the new year with a blend of symbolic rituals, family gatherings and deeply rooted culinary traditions — a mix of beliefs from Spanish and Indigenous origins.
The arrival of 2026, like every New Year, is less about spectacle and more about renewal — a moment to leave the past behind and invite good fortune, health and prosperity.
One of the most widely practiced customs is eating 12 grapes at midnight, one for each chime of the clock. Each grape represents a month of the coming year, and with every bite, people make a wish. “That’s something that can’t be missing at my New Year’s celebration”, said Ana Priego, originally from Monterrey and currently living in Houston.
“Since I was a kid, it's been a tradition in my family. And now that I have kids, I make sure there are grapes for everyone at our celebrations," she said.
The tradition, shared with other Spanish-speaking countries, has become a defining image of New Year’s Eve in Mexico, played out in living rooms, public plazas and restaurants nationwide. In the days leading up to December 31. Grapes flood supermarkets often at noticeably higher prices.
Color symbolism also plays a central role. Many people wear a specific color of underwear — often worn inside-out before midnight, then flipped right side-out after midnight. The most popular colors of underwear are red to attract love and yellow to invite money and abundance in the year ahead. Local markets sell underwear in both colors, often decorated with playful or elaborate designs related to the motifs of love and fortune. These practices often coexist with other prosperity rituals, such as placing a bill or coin inside a shoe or keeping cash in a wallet at the first moment of the new year, gestures for financial stability.
For the more adventurous, there is another popular ritual tied to movement and opportunity: walking outside with a suitcase and circling the block. Those who do it hope the coming year will bring travel, new experiences and open paths. Lentils, eaten or shared during the celebration, also symbolize wealth and good fortune, their coin-like shape linked to abundance.
Many families focus on cleansing and renewal. Rebeca Estrada said she likes the tradition of “sweeping away the bad vibes from your house.” Doing this at midnight is believed to clear away negative energy from the year that is ending, making space — both literally and symbolically — for a fresh start. TV-watching still plays a big role in the festivities. Some families gather around their favorite TV network to watch popular celebrity hosts who lead the countdown. In border towns with different time zones, people cross the border to celebrate the New Year twice.
Food anchors the night. The New Year’s Eve dinner is typically abundant and meant to be shared over long conversations that stretch past midnight. Traditional holiday dishes like bacalao a la vizcaína and romeritos often reappear, alongside regional staples such as pozole and a variety of tamales. In la Huasteca, a region of San Luis Potosí, families prepare Zacahuil, a roughly 45-pound tamal cooked underground or in an adobe oven for over 12 hours. The diversity of dishes reflects Mexico’s regional richness and the importance of food bringing people together.
After eating the grapes, families raise a glass of sparkling cider or wine for the New Year toast. Some drop a gold ring into the glass, a symbolic gesture meant to attract marriage, prosperity or long-term stability in the year ahead.
"El Año Viejo”: A protest that became tradition
Regional traditions add distinctive local flavor. In parts of Oaxaca, people break clay dishes to symbolize detachment from the past and the start of something new.
In Veracruz, the burning of the Año Viejo — a cloth effigy often stuffed with fireworks — marks a dramatic farewell to the year gone by, releasing frustrations and hardships in flames. Photographer Felix Marquez has largely documented this tradition that dates back to the late 19th century when dockworkers demanded year-end bonuses by dressing one worker as an old man and parading him through the port with music, chants and traditional instruments like jaranas.
“That tradition evolved from a protest to a cultural act that replicates every end of the year”, explained Marquez. Those who are part of the parade, now go door-to-door collecting donations “for the poor old man” with traditional music. At midnight, the effigy of an old man is set on fire to symbolize the death of the year.
As Mexico welcomes 2026, New Year’s Eve remains a collective pause — a moment to gather, remember, cleanse and imagine what lies ahead, guided by rituals that connect generations and reaffirm the value of community.
