Fed up of squeezing into sequin dresses or stiff suits for boozy parties on New Year’s Eve? Veronica Stivala sources some different activities and some unusual spots where you can welcome in the beginning of 2015.

Great balls of fat

Join in the typical Belgian celebrations of heralding in the new year with a ball of fat.

Yes, you read right. Smoutebollen literally means, and is, lard balls.

In the ‘land of milk and honey’ these little mounds may sound unpalatable but they are extraordinarily tasty and are the perfect antidote to freezing winter weather.

Crowds gather at the famous Hahnenkamm downhill ski run in Kitzbühel, Austria, for a torch light show put on by two local ski schools

They are alternatively known as oliebollen (oil balls) or in French, as croustillants, (crunchies).

So as you head out to the beautiful plazas and squares of Brussels, marvel at these mouthwatering fat globules that will coat your insides and keep you safe from alcohol poisoning.

Let them wear costumes

Just because you don’t feel like dressing up in sequins doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy watching somebody else all decked up for the festivities.

Uzbeks mark the New Year in a celebration called Yangi Yil.

Even though they don’t actually celebrate the feast of Christmas, they still decorate a New Year tree and give each other gifts.

They sing and listen to traditional Uzbek music over dinner.

After the meal, a man dressed up as Father Christmas (known locally as Grandfather Frost) and his female companion, Snow Maiden, arrive and continue the celebrations.

At midnight, they sing the Uzbek national anthem while standing next to the tree.

Up for sunrise

The Homigot Sunrise Festival in South Korea is what it says on the tin.

Held on Pohang Beach, the festival includes cultural performances and beautiful fireworks at midnight.

But contrary to most New Year’s Eve celebrations, this festival continues through to sunrise, at which time you can sample tteokguk, a traditional rice cake soup.

Thousands of celebrators gather at this time to observe the Boshingak bell ceremony and the city chooses a lucky citizen to ring the bell as the people gathered cheer them on.

Also look out for the first rays of the 2015 sun shining through the fingers of a giant hand sculpture.

Four times a man

We’re all familiar with the new year’s dip into ice-cold waters that many people get a kick out of.

But the Isle of Man turns things up, or down, a notch or two. On the first day of the year, man (or woman)-enough people jump into the almost freezing (9°C) waters around the island not once, but four times, taking shots of dark rum between dives.

It’s all done in the name of charity, so if you’re feeling brave, jump on in!

Snow bunny bonanza

If you love skiing and swishing down Alpine pistes, then Kitzbühel, Austria, is the ideal place for you.

Follow a day of skiing with New Year’s Eve celebrations that begin on the slopes. Crowds gather at the famous Hahnenkamm downhill run for a torch light show put on by two local ski schools.

Omisoka (New Year’s Eve) is the second-most important day in the Japanese calendar because it marks the final day of the old year and the eve of the most important day of the year – New Year’s Day

Next comes an impressive pyrotechnic fireworks display.

The crowds then make their way to the city centre for evening festivities in Kitzbühel’s bars with live music.

You might wish to think about putting aside a few wads of notes if this holiday tickles your fancy because Kitz in general is not a destination for the cash conscious.

Noodles and bell-ringing

Omisoka (New Year’s Eve) is the second-most important day in the Japanese calendar because it marks the final day of the old year and the eve of the most important day of the year – New Year’s Day.

The tradition here is to eat a bowl of toshikoshi-soba with friends and family, a tradition based on people’s association of eating the long noodles with crossing over from one year to the next.

Throughout Japan, Shinto shrines prepare amazake drinks to pass out to crowds that gather as midnight approaches.

At midnight, many visit a shrine or temple for Hatsumode.

Also, on New Year's Eve, Buddhist temples ring their large cast bells 108 times to welcome Toshigami, the New Year's God.

The couch

Let’s face it: sometimes the pressure to do something grand and different is just too much and if you haven’t planned anything by now, it can get stressful trying to plan a trip at the last minute (although some revel in this sort of excitement).

So rather than racing against time to book flights, hotels and get your jabs done, why not soak in the comforts that only the softness a sofa cushion can provide, sip on some soulful mulled wine, munch on mince pies and start planning where you will be spending next New Year’s Eve.