Another tradition on New Years Eve is to throw a bucket of water out the door. This is an act of purification that is meant to get rid of all of the bad spirits in your own and in your life. The tradition is most likely from Santeria, an Afro-Cuban religion. My informant said that as a child she couldn’t wait until it was midnight on New Years. She would look out her door and see everyone on the street throwing water out their door. As a child she thought this was very entertaining.