Close
If you’re stuck on the boat for New Year’s Eve, watching fireworks off the aft deck as you pour magnums of Cristal for other, luckier people, it’s not uncommon to feel a little glum. To help fend off the New Year’s blues, we’ve written a list of fun New Year’s traditions and superstitions to bring a bit of festive cheer into the crew mess over New Year’s Eve.
Revive the ancient art of bibliomancy.
In Edwardian Britain (early 1900s), books were given as gifts on New Year’s Eve, so much so that it was considered bad luck to step into the New Year without one. Rather wonderfully, people’s futures were told by opening a book and reading out a paragraph at random —a practice called bibliomancy, which stretches back thousands of years.
Play a game of lucky potatoes.
In Peru, it’s up to the humble potato to tell financial fortunes. For this game, put three potatoes— one peeled, one unpeeled, and one half-peeled— under a crew mess chair. At midnight, close your eyes and pick a potato. Open your eyes and learn your fate. Peeled will bring financial bad luck, half-peeled means no real change and an intact peel means you’ve won the jackpot and that money is coming your way. Tips and promotions ahoy!
Stuff some king cake in your face.
In New Orleans and France, ‘king cake’ is eaten at midnight to signify that the Christmas period is over and that you are ready to welcome in the New Year. Ask the chef (very nicely) to cook a king cake for the crew and to hide a gold coin in the batter — whoever wins it will win exceptional luck.
Eat a lucky pig.
With pigs long considered a symbol of luck and prosperity, many cultures have sweet NYE traditions with pigs involved, including smashing a peppermint candy pig at midnight (US) or giving everyone a marzipan pig as an edible New Year’s good luck charm (Germany).
Foods To Eat And Avoid On NYE.
Fish is a traditional New Year’s meal in some cultures. Why? Because they only swim in one direction: forward, like the passing of time. Things not recommended to eat on NYE are chickens, as your luck might fly away, or lobster — for your luck might walk backwards as they do.
Take 7 laps around your ‘house’.
Early in the morning on the 1st of Jan, jump in and take seven laps around the yacht for good luck. Sure, this one depends on the captain allowing you to swim before the guests get up, and it also depends on you being at anchor or up on the hard, but it’s a great tradition to kick off the year.
Keep your eye on the weather.
If the wind blows from the south in the early hours of New Year’s Day, the following year will bring prosperity, while wind from the north will bring a year of bad weather. From the east? Well, famine and calamities. From the west, you’ll have abundant fish and milk, but someone will die.
Don’t cry on January 1.
Please, no crying on New Year’s Day, people! No matter how much you miss your family or those pesky guests who make you want to jump overboard. Tears on Jan 1 are thought to set the tone for the year ahead.
Make sure your wallet is full of cash.
We know that carrying cash is so 2010, but having cash in your wallet at the stroke of midnight signifies that you’ll be cashed up all year.
Let the fresh air flood in.
If your portholes open and it’s safe to do so, open the crew mess porthole to let the old year out and the new year in at midnight. Just remember to close them straight afterwards. To be sure, it might be best to set an alarm for 12:15 to ensure they are properly shut before you go to bed and check they are tightly secured again the following day. Getting halfway to Anguilla before you realise waves are splashing into the crew mess isn’t a great way to kick off the year.
Take the first step of the year on the right foot.
Make sure the first person to step into the crew mess after midnight steps in with their right foot, or bad luck will be brought into your house. Literally, get the year started on the right foot.
Bring in the luck with a crew mess costume party.
In Brazil, wearing white at New Year’s is thought to bring good luck for the year ahead. You’d be luckier in the Philippines with polka-dots— but I’m not sure what your chances are of getting the chief engineer into those. Red underwear signifies good luck in the bedroom in the coming year. If you are likely to get called away by guests or to the bridge, everyone might want to wear silly hats or easily discarded accessories.
Bring on the kids’ games!
If superstitions aren’t your thing, make up some games of your own or bring some back from childhood. Who doesn’t love a game of Pass the Parcel? Or the utterly ridiculous chocolate game? Perhaps board games or card games are more your speed?
Make a floating wreath and make a wish.
Sky lanterns and balloons might look beautiful as you let them up into the sky, but they only add to the waste in the oceans and forests, and in dry areas, the lanterns risk catastrophic fires. Instead, make flower rafts and let them off the boat with a wish.
Have a swim if you can.
Nothing starts the year off better than a swim in the sea in a beautiful place, and if it’s off the back of a superyacht, oh-so-much, the better. This one needs el capitano’s approval and be well out of sight/earshot of any guests. If you can’t manage a swim on the night, take one at the first chance you can, and make a wish for the year as you dive under the first wave.
Remember that organising festivities on charter can be tricky, as crew will be coming in and out with service and watches and phone calls with loved ones. Try to organise a time that works for as many people as possible, and ensure no one is left out entirely. These activities are for bringing crew together, not making those on service/watch feel left out.
Happy New Year from Bluewater!
