Little Known Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Cuba

In Cuba, the final day of the year is marked by powerful symbolic rituals meant to cleanse the spirit and start fresh. Many families engage in a deep cleaning of their homes, collecting the dirty mop water and holding onto it until midnight.

As the clock strikes twelve, they pour the murky water into the street, symbolically washing away the misfortunes of the past year and inviting clarity and good energy into the new one. In rural areas, another vivid tradition takes place: the burning of a life-sized rag doll.