In a Colombian New Year's Eve tradition, carrying an empty suitcase around the block is associated with wishing for travel and adventure in the coming year.
The custom is usually performed at midnight or shortly afterward. A person takes a suitcase, often empty, outside and walks around the neighborhood or block. The symbolic journey is intended to encourage future trips, new experiences, or opportunities to travel. It is a playful ritual rather than a formal religious observance, and participation varies by family and region.
Colombian New Year's celebrations also include family meals, fireworks, music, and other symbolic practices. Some households observe additional customs involving clothing colors, lentils, coins, or candles, but these should not be treated as a single mandatory national ceremony. The suitcase tradition is specifically the travel-related symbol.
The suitcase does not represent packing for an immediate departure. Its meaning is aspirational: physically taking it around the block is meant to attract journeys during the year ahead.