For Lyllieanna Herrera, a DePaul junior, the New Year arrived with the crunch of green grapes and the boom of fireworks.
Crouched beneath a table as the clock struck midnight, Herrera began to think about her hopes for every month of 2026. For each one she had, she ate a grape. The tradition, practiced in Spain and throughout Latin America, is believed to help bring good fortune.
“I wished for good things in the New Year,” Herrera said. “More money, career advancement, prosperity, love, happiness, peace and simple things like that.”
In preparation for the ball drop, her family took part in other common customs. Before midnight, they cleaned the house as a way to symbolize a fresh start.
When the countdown ended, they ran around with empty suitcases.
“That one’s to symbolize the hope that you’re going to be traveling more, finding new places and exploring,” Herrera said.
While many of these rituals have been part of her family’s New Year’s celebration for years, Herrera also decided on introducing a new tradition. She encouraged her relatives to create vision boards as representations of their desired achievements and intentions.
Herrera’s vision board reflected her resolutions to stay balanced, focus on self-prioritization and explore. Printouts that read “don’t overthink it,” “stay humble” and “work hard” were placed alongside images of Disneyland Tokyo and New York, which she hopes to visit in 2026.
Herrera spent the last hours of 2025 at her uncle’s ranch in Texas, surrounded by family, good food and even horses.
“Out of all my friends and coworkers, I was pretty much the only one who was doing something with their family,” Herrera said. “Everyone else was going out, drinking or going to the club.”
Spending the holiday with relatives has always been a given for her and is a value she sees reflected across many Latine households.
For Saúl Gómez, a DePaul senior, gathering with family on New Year’s Eve has been a constant ever since he was a child.
“Ever since I can remember, we always got together no matter what,” Gómez said. “There’s no better way to end the year than with your family.”
Spanish music, laughter and rounds of Lotería, a traditional Mexican game similar to bingo, filled Gómez’s celebration, which he recently began hosting at his own home. Alongside festivities, reflection and faith always come into play as he looks ahead to coming years.
“I think there’s always good and bad things about every year,” he said. “I ask God for help and look towards religion as a way to help me achieve my goals, but I also know I have to put in the work.”
Gómez plans to apply his criminology degree at Cook County Probation after graduating in June.
For Kenneth Gutiérrez, a DePaul junior, New Year’s and holiday celebrations don’t end on Jan. 1. They continue through Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, a Christian holiday that marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas.
In Mexican tradition, the night typically consists of a family dinner, followed by hot chocolate served with Rosca de Reyes, a sweet bread with a hidden Baby Jesus figurine symbolizing his concealment from King Herod. Finding the figurine is considered a blessing, and the person who finds it is responsible for making tamales for Candlemas on Feb. 2.
“The celebration really isn’t just New Year’s Day,” Gutiérrez said. “The feeling of family togetherness doesn’t truly fade until February.”
While different households have varied New Year’s traditions, many Latine students share a similar sentiment: the importance of starting the year with family and upholding practices passed down generations.
