I read this in a 90s children’s fact book about New Year in England.
“In England, people use balloons to help mark the new year. They blow up black balloons and kick them out the door at midnight to show that they are getting rid of the bad spirits from the old year.”
Can anyone confirm if this is (or was) and English tradition? I have never heard it before or seen it in any British media. I couldn’t find anything by googling either.