Peruvian New Year's customs

Oh, Lonely Planet Thorn Tree, how I love you. The Thorn Tree is a message board where travelers from all over gather to ask and answer the real questions that come up while on the road -- on the TT, you can find out which tour guides will rip you off, whether camping is allowed on Easter Island, and even which intersections in Buenos Aires are too noisy for early-to-bed types (answer: most of them).

Someone posted a link to this site that talks about common New Year's traditions in Cuzco. Turns out that these people are seriously superstitious. Here are some of the things you might hear about us doing on December 31:

• Dress up an effigy in old clothes, and then burn it to bring about a fresh start.
  
• Buy and wear new clothes (or at least new underwear) in certain colors -- yellow for happiness and luck, red for love, and green for money.
  
• Carry a suitcase around the Plaza de Armas to ensure that you will travel in the coming year.
  
• Eat 12 grapes at midnight -- one for each coming month.
  
• Light candles or take a bath filled with flowers -- use the same colors as the underwear thing.
  
• At midnight, put beans in your pocket and wish for money.
  
• The potato trick -- get three potatoes. Leave one untouched, partially peel another, and fully peel the third. At midnight, put them under your couch and choose one without looking. Picking the one with the most skin means you'll get a lot of money.

The New Year's traditions in America look pretty freaking weak next to all that. I am definitely looking forward to New Year's Day, too. Dad tells me that if Peru is anything like Guatemala, the fireworks should make the city sound like it's under siege. Don't worry, we will be safe and sane. Light fuse and get away, and all that good stuff. At the very least, we will try not to stand directly in the path of any fireworks. Unless doing so will make us look very cool.