In Colombia's New Year's Eve travel tradition, people carry an empty suitcase around the block to attract journeys.
The ritual is a playful act of sympathetic symbolism: carrying luggage is meant to invite travel and adventures during the coming year. Participants may walk around their home or neighborhood after midnight, often joining other New Year's customs such as eating grapes or making wishes.
The practice is frequently described in accounts of Colombian New Year's celebrations and is also known in parts of other Latin American countries. It is not a formal legal or religious ceremony, and exact details—such as the route, timing, and whether the suitcase must be empty—can vary.
This custom is easy to confuse with packing for an actual trip. The defining feature is carrying the suitcase as a symbolic action, often even when no journey has been booked. It belongs to the family of New Year's rituals intended to influence fortune through a visible gesture.