Quirky and fun: New Year’s customs in Bavaria
On the hunt for luck, love, and good omens
13/01/2026
Ready to explore Bavaria’s New Year’s rituals and see if you can strike it lucky?
The old year draws to a close, and the new one is waiting in the wings. This is the time when Bavaria pulls out all the stops – loud enough to send even the most stubborn spirits packing. Fireworks and firecrackers at midnight aren’t just to celebrate; these age-old ghost-repellers have serious tradition behind them.
If you’d rather peer into the future than the past, try one of the classic divining methods, like lead-pouring. These days, wax or tin stands in for lead, but the thrill’s just the same: heat a piece of wax on a spoon and drip it into cold water. The odd shapes that form are meant to reveal something about the year ahead – or so the story goes. Children are mad about the colourful gummy bear method. Pull out loads of yellow bears? Then your year’s bound to be brilliant – at least according to legend.
Lovers, meanwhile, turn to apples for prognostication. Peel an apple in one long spiral and throw the peel over your left shoulder – it’s supposed to reveal the first letter of your future beloved’s name. Perhaps it’ll point you straight to your soulmate?
New Year’s Eve also brings little tokens of luck: tiny chimney sweeps, four-leaf clovers, marzipan pigs – here in Bavaria, lucky charms are just part and parcel of the celebrations. And if you really want to hedge your bets, slip into some red underwear for luck, love, and health.
Culinary traditions are just as important: fondue and raclette make for sociable grazing and sharing at the table, while New Year’s Eve carp brings luck to your wallet, and pork has stood for prosperity since ancient Germanic times.
At midnight, raise your glass and say “Prosit Neujahr!” – Latin for “May it succeed.” All that’s missing then is the telly classic “Dinner for One”, the undisputed champion of German New Year’s Eve traditions.
So, are you ready to start the new year at the Romantik Hotel Hirschen and discover a few highlights for yourself?
