In Finland, New Year’s starts with a little fortune telling. Miniature tin horseshoes are melted over a fire on a special type of spoon and tossed into the snow or into very cold water, where they freeze instantly into unusual shapes. Those shapes are said to be harbingers of the year to come.
“You look at the shadow, not the tin itself,” explains Reijo Pentikainen, a Helsinki resident who grew up with the tradition.