New Year Celebrations From Around the World

New Year celebrations and festivals are one of the oldest customs of the world and one that is the most widely observed. They generally include rites and ceremonies which are expressive of mortification, invigoration and jubilation over the renewal of life. In some countries, parties are thrown on New Year's Eve which last until the early hours of New Year's Day. Have you ever wondered what celebrations of New Year’s are like around the world? Well, you are about to find out…

New Year Celebrations From Around the World

~ novareinna.com ~

AUSTRIA, POLAND AND SWITZERLAND: New Year's Eve is known as the Eve of Saint Sylvester or Sylvesterabend. According to legend, Saint Sylvester (or, according to Polish lore, Pope Sylvester) slew an evil monster-dragon known as the Leviathon in 1000 A.D., the year widely predicted at that time to be Judgment Day. The Leviathon was supposed to rise, devour the land and the people and set fire to the heavens. He did rise and was vanquished. The Leviathon, a serpent-dragon with shiny scales who fed on other dragons, was so large that its multicolored coils encircled the Earth. In Switzerland, the people parade through the streets dressed in costumes and hats, representative of good and evil spirits.

CANADA: In British Columbia, the traditional polar bear swim takes place. People of all ages don bathing suits and plunge into the icy-cold water which surrounds Vancouver during the winter.

CHINA: The Chinese New Year, known as Yuan Tan, takes place sometime between January 21st and February 20th, the exact date being fixed by the Lunar Calendar, in which a New Moon marks the beginning of each month. Yuan Tan is celebrated by Chinese people all over the world. For many families, it is a time of feasting, visiting relatives and friends. In the cities, spectacular processions are arranged. The celebrations are intended to bring luck, health, wealth and happiness. Houses are cleaned in order to rid them of the previous year's bad luck before the festivities begin. Street parades are held where thousands of people gather to watch the procession of floats weave their way through the crowds. The dragon is a popular figure, associated in particular with longevity and wealth. Inside the costumes will be as many as 50 dancers, all twisting and turning the dragon's long, silk body and blinking eyes. Since the Chinese believe that evil spirits dislike loud noises, they decorate their houses with plastic firecrackers in order to ward off any bad luck that the spirits might bring. Often, doors and windows are sealed with paper to keep out such evil spirits. Plants and flowers are purchased in order to ensure good luck for the coming year. The Kumquat tree is considered to be the luckiest...its name a play on the word "lucky." The peach blossom is also a favorite and the tangerine is also considered lucky because of its bright color. However, since odd numbers are considered unlucky, the tangerines are always purchased or given as gifts in pairs. When the New Year is associated with a particular animal, then the meat of that animal is not eaten for the first day of the year. For several days prior to New Year's Eve, housewives clean and redecorate their homes. Favored foods at this time are those thought to ensure wealth and happiness for the coming year, such as black moss seaweed and dried bean curd.

GERMANY: New Year's Eve in Germany is a rather quiet affair compared to many other nations. It is a time for family gatherings and parties tend to be low-key, consisting of relatives and close friends. At midnight, a toast is customarily made with champagne or Sekt and everyone says, "Prosit Neujahr!. Often, there are firework displays which people usually watch from the windows of their homes. One popular custom is Bleigiessen, where a candle is lit and small chunks of lead are melted in a spoon held over the candle. The molten lead is then quickly dropped into cold water, whereupon it hardens almost immediately. Each person then tries to determine what he or she "sees" in the hardened lead figure in an attempt to tell the future from the shape which forms. Often, the lead figure is held up to the candle or other light in order to better discern the shape from the shadow which it casts. A heart or ring means a wedding...a ship foretells of a journey...a pig signifies plenty of food. Today, Silvesterblei kits may be purchased from most German department stores, complete with lead nuggets, a spoon and a list of possible shapes and their meanings.

Food consumed on Silvester, the German New Year's Eve, traditionally consists of lentil or split pea soup accompanied by Wiener Wurstchen (usually prepared a few days ahead of the celebration), which is served with a meat or cheese fondue. It is also customary to leave a little of the food eaten on New Year's Day on the plate until after Midnight. This is thought to ensure a well-stocked larder. Carp is often part of the meal since it is believed to bring wealth. Other popular food items are herring for good luck and cabbage or carrots for financial security.

GREAT BRITAIN: In England crowds sometimes gather in Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus waiting to hear the chimes of London's Big Ben, which announces the arrival of the New Year. Arms are linked and there is usually a rendering of "Auld Lang Syne." The custom of "first-footing" is important. To ensure good luck for the inhabitants of a house, the first person to enter on New Year's Day should be male, young, healthy and good-looking. He should preferably be dark-haired and carrying a small piece of coal, money, bread and salt. These things symbolize wealth. Women and those people with blonde or red hair are considered unlucky "first-footers."

In SCOTLAND, where the celebration is called "Hogmany" (derived from a type of oat cake which was traditionally given to children on New Year's Eve), it is believed that there cannot be a New Year until the Old Year has gone. Since the Old Year is considered evil and must be banished, an effigy of Death is paraded around the town or city and is then buried, drowned or burned. This dummy may be made of straw, twigs or rags and is known as the "Auld Wife." In some villages, barrels of tar are set alight and rolled through the streets. Thus, the Old Year is burned-up and the New Year allowed to enter. Preparations for the New Year include the cleaning of houses, believed to be an ancient purification ritual. In years gone by, burning juniper bushes would be carried through the home to remove any lurking germs and diseases. The traditional New Year meal consisted of Haggis, shortbread, scones, oat cakes, cheese, whiskey, wine and New Year black buns. The first person to rise in the morning would take the "Het Pint," a spiced ale, to those family members who were still in bed.

As in England, the custom of "first-footing" is an important tradition, as is the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" at Midnight. Merriment in Scotland is saved primarily for the New Year as opposed to Christmas, which is observed in a more sombre fashion.

HONG KONG: The people in Hong Kong are not allowed to set off real firecrackers at the New Year. Instead, they use plastic firecrackers as decorations. Most people favor red as the color for clothing and decorations since it is associated with joy and happiness. Lucky money is distributed in red envelopes with the family name and a good luck message written in gold. These are given on by relatives to the children of the family and any unmarried members only. The New Year feast is always a large one for the first day of the year.

HUNGARY: Effigies of a scapegoat known as "Jack Straw" are burned. These effigies represent the evils and misfortunes of the past year. "Jack Straw" is carried around the village before being committed to the flames.

INDIA: The basis for the Indian New Year is a classic tale of good conquering evil. When Prince Rama, rightful heir to his father's throne, was banished to the forest for 14 years by his wicked stepmother, Rama's wife was kidnapped by the evil Demon King Ravan, ruler of a neighboring land. A battle ensued and Rama, aided by the monkey warrior Hanuma, rescued his wife, defeated Ravan and returned to his kingdom to reclaim his throne. In celebration of Rama's victory, people feasted and lit oil lamps in their homes. Such was the first Indian New Year celebration known as Diwali, meaning "Row of Lights."

Today, the festival falls in late October or early November and is celebrated according to regional customs. In Northern India, for example, every town and village glows with thousands of lights and homes are decorated with little oil lamps called diwa, intended to drive out evil and replace it with goodness. People try to complete any unfinished work since Diwali marks the end of the year. Businesses pay off all debts and new account books are blessed before the New Year. People buy new things for their homes, or purchase new tools or even new clothes. Cards and gifts are exchanged, New Year resolutions are made and all quarrels are forgiven and forgotten, since this is a time of year to be happy and generous. Even the animals who have been worked are washed, groomed and decorated for the festival.

KOREA: Caught between two calendars and, consequently, two New Year celebrations, Korea tends to celebrate the lunar New Year or Sol with much less pomp than other Asian nations. There are no firecrackers, ornate dragon heads or beauty pageants. It is basically a reflective time to spend with family and the worship of ancestors. However, feasting does pay a large role in the festivities with favored dishes being dumplings, soups, rice, noodles and sweet fruits. Sol is often observed by the donning traditional dress, gifts of envelopes containing money to younger members of the family and taking a day off from work.

MAYANS: Mayan people celebrate their New Year during the month of July in the Gregorian Calendar. The Ancient Mayans worshiped a number of Gods and annually at the New Year, a different God would become the focus of the festivities. New idols were made and the entrances and implements of the temples were reconsecrated with blue paint, considered to be a sacred color. When all was ready, the appointed God would enter from the compass direction which was associated with him. Domestic renewal rituals would also be performed, such as destroying all old pottery and fibre mats, and the donning of new clothes.

NETHERLANDS: In the Netherlands, people burn Christmas trees on street bonfires and hold firework displays to herald in the New Year. This practice is also considered to be a means of driving away the spirits of the old year. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring symbolizes good luck, since it is indicative of "coming full circle" and thus completing the cycle of a year. For this reason, the Dutch often eat donuts on New Year's Day to ensure good fortune for the coming year.

PORTUGAL AND SPAIN: The people of the Iberian Peninsula pick and eat twelve grapes from a bunch just as the clock strikes twelve on New Year's Eve. This tradition is said to ensure twelve happy months in the coming year.

SINGAPORE: With more than 50% of Singapore's population being Chinese in heritage, it is not surprising that the lunar New Year is considered a great celebration. Officially, the holiday lasts for three days, but people frequently take the entire week off from work to celebrate and visit with friends and relatives. The markets are usually bustling with shoppers who are busy buying everything from new clothes to household cleaning supplies since everything must be perfect in order to guarantee an auspicious New Year. The Chinese New Year's Eve feast doubles as a family reunion, bring relatives from both far and near back to the homeland. Meals are sumptuous and filled with symbolically lucky food items, while hong bao (red envelopes stuffed with money) are distributed to the younger family members. Recipients of these gifts are, however, expected to show self-restraint and safely stow the valuable envelopes under their pillows until the 15th day of the New Year in order to ensure good luck.

SOUTH AFRICA: In South Africa, church bells ring in the New Year and gunshots are fired. In the Cape Province area, New Year's Day and Second New Year's Day are celebrated with a carnival atmosphere with people dressing in colorful costumes and dancing in the streets to the sound of drums.

THAILAND: The Thai New Year festival is called Songkran and lasts for three days from April 13th until April 15th, according to the Gregorian Calendar. There are many customs associated with the New Year celebrations. For example, people douse each other with perfumed water to symbolize cleansing and renewal and the hope that it will bring good rains in the coming year. Another ceremony involves the tying of string around someone's wrist while reciting a short blessing prayer. It is considered a great honor to be the recipient of such a string and it is allowed to remain on the wrist until it falls off of its own accord. All the statues and images of Buddha are washed and monasteries are visited in order to pray and offer gifts of rice, fruits, sweets and other foods to the monks. One ancient good luck custom in Thailand is to release birds from their cages and carry fish to the river so that they might be released from their bowls. A game known as Saba (something like skittles) is also often played.

* Photo Courtesy of lovethesepics.com

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