Mary Altaffer / AP

Confetti flies over New York's Times Square as the clock strikes midnight during the New Year's Eve celebration as seen from the balcony of the Marriott Marquis hotel, Saturday, Dec. 31.

See the slideshow of how 2012 was welcomed throughout the world.

Mary Altaffer / AP

A member of the clean up crew clears confetti from Broadway after the New Year's Eve celebration as seen from the balcony of the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York's Times Square, Jan. 1, 2012.

Philippe Huguen / AFP - Getty Images

People carry a man on a stretcher as they take part in a traditional sea bath during New Year's celebrations on Jan. 1, 2011 at Malo-Les-Bains beach in Dunkirk, France.

New Year's Day quickly approaches and with it the pressure to make this coming one the best year ever. We all have different traditions we believe will help us achieve this goal. Some more than others. My family comes from Peru, where there is a long list of essential New Year's customs that are guaranteed to bring you health, wealth, love, prosperity... you name it. This usually begins with the yellow underwear. Yellow is considered a lucky color that symbolizes hope and happiness. It is no coincidence that it is the same color as the Sun. By ringing in the new year while wearing yellow underwear you encourage good luck to come your way. You then proceed to:

Slideshow: Good luck rituals for the new year

Mariana Bazo / Reuters

We may have different calendars, customs and beliefs, but most of us mark the arrival of a new year. Take a look at the ways cultures around the world celebrate and bring good luck for the year ahead.

Launch slideshow

• Collect 12 pennies (representing each month of the year) from different people, before midnight and place them in a small red bag along with a several grains of rice to ensure that you would have money and food throughout the next year.
• Eat 12 grapes at the strike of midnight. (This is a tradition that originates in Spain and spread to most of Latin America - along with colonization)
• Run out at midnight with a packed suitcase and go around the block (after you eat your grapes, of course!). This one is for those wanting to travel in the new year.
• Throw a pair of old, worn out shoes dramatically out the window as a way of getting rid of the old year.

While everyone has different ways of bringing in good luck, there are also some common themes that run through the various customs. Water is involved in several traditions. This can be attributed to the fact that water is associated with cleansing and rebirth. In Thailand, during the Songkran festival celebrating the New Year, complete strangers splash water on each other throughout the streets. While this is certainly aided by the fact that the Thai New Year takes place during the hottest time of the year, the tradition began with people pouring fragrant water on their Buddha images as a New Year cleansing. This "blessed" water was then gently poured over family members for good fortune.

Noel Celis / AFP - Getty Images

Roasted pigs at a store in Manila, Philippines on Dec. 23, 2010. Pork and ham are also a very popular New Year's food in Austria, Germany, and Sweden, among others. The pig is known for rooting forward for food with their snouts, and their feet planted. This is seen as a symbol of moving forward in the new year.

During Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, people visit an open body of water to cast away their sins of the past year. Typically, the sins are represented by small pieces of food that are thrown into the water.

One of the most popular water-related traditions is the New Year's plunge into icy water. In New York City's Coney Island, thousands gather on Jan. 1 to run into the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Polar Bear Club's yearly tradition. The same happens all over Europe.

It can be said that most of these traditions ultimately are about getting rid of negativity and starting anew. Hence, the desire to scare away evil spirits through dragons and drum beats (Chinese New Year), dressing up in costumes (Switzerland), or fireballs (Scotland).

To see what others do on New Year's see our slideshow: New Year's traditions around the world.

What New Year's traditions will you be doing this year? Do you think it makes a difference? Leave your comments below.

And we're off! New Year's Eve fireworks in Australia kick off celebrations around the world. You can see more images of New Year's celebrations HERE. 

Tim Wimborne / Reuters

Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House during a pyrotechnic show to celebrate the New Year on Jan. 1, 2011. Local authorities planned for over 1.5 million people to crowd Sydney Harbor and welcome in the new year under the massive fireworks display.

Rob Griffith / AP

The sky above tall Sydney city buildings light up with the 9 p.m. fireworks display on New Year's Eve in Australia, Dec. 31. Enthusiastic Australians camped out at parks alongside the Sydney Harbor Bridge to win the best view of the New Year's Eve fireworks.

Tim Wimborne / Reuters

Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbor during a pyrotechnic show three hours before the New Year, Dec. 31. The eight minute fireworks display was aimed at families with children who will not be awake for the traditional massive fireworks display at midnight.

Tim Wimborne / Reuters

Fireworks explode near the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House during a pyrotechnic show three hours before the New Year, Dec. 31.