Offering, prayer, panties and chicken veto: the superstitions and beliefs of celebrities

Every New Year’s Eve is the same story. Influencer Thaynara OG, 31 years old and with six million followers on social networks, runs from store to store to buy new panties. “It needs to be yellow to attract more money,” she says, being cautious. “I’m even worried about losing my panties and I already take a spare.”

If the subject is new panties, activist and presenter Luisa Mell says that she didn’t have much faith in this girl, until… “I wore red panties and had a bad year in many ways, but I started dating and we’re having a great passion. So this panties thing works”, he argues.

Superstitions on New Year’s Eve tend to vary, but not much. Jumping seven waves, eating lentils, pomegranates and wearing light clothes are the most common. “I wear a twig of rue behind my ear”, says actor Paulo Betti, 71. Rue is often used by faith healers and has the power to protect against the evil eye.

Celebrities who embraced religion also have their own particularities at the time of New Year’s Eve. Former model Joana Prado, 47, now a practicing Catholic, says that she was once quite superstitious and believed in lucky charms and other rituals. “Today true security comes from an unshakable faith in God.”

Tony Ramos, 75, is also a fan of prayer when he brings his family together, at midnight on December 31st. He is the opposite extreme of presenter Claudete Troiano, 70, who has not one, but a few rituals to attract good things on New Year’s Eve.

“I don’t remember a year that I went without eating at least a spoonful of lentils at midnight,” he says. “I even looked abroad for canned lentils. I also take a bay leaf, eat seven grapes and save seeds and seven more pomegranate seeds. I spend the whole year with them in my wallet.”

Amanda Meirelles, champion of the last edition of Big Brother Brasil (Globo), says that chickens are banned from her dinner, as they “scratch backwards”. See more testimonials in the photo gallery.