New Year’s Eve is on it’s way and everybody is super excited for the new year and everything that it is going to be! Hope you are ready for a great year!
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year’s Eve is the last day of the year, is on 31 December which is the seventh day of Christmastide and in a lot of countries of the world, people celebrate in many ways.
These are some countries that celebrate on New Year’s Eve!
- In Egypt the new year is celebrated with fireworks, fire crackers, smashing glass bottles or breaking things on the street also.
- In Brazil, New Year’s Eve is a great celebration and New Year’s is one of the main holidays. It officially marks the beginning of the summer holidays, which last until Carnival. The people have a copious meal with family or friends at home, in restaurants or private clubs, and consume alcoholic beverages. Champagne is traditionally drunk. Those spending New Year’s Eve at the beach usually dress in white, to bring good luck into the new year. Fireworks and eating grapes or lentils are customs associated with the holiday.
- New Year’s Eve is celebrated with formal parties and concerts, family-oriented activities, and large public events such as firework shows and “drops” in the U.S.A. The “ball drop” held at New York City’s Times Square, which was inspired by the time balls that were formerly used as a time signal, is one of the most famous celebrations all over the world.
- In Austria, New Year’s Eve is usually celebrated with friends and family. At exactly midnight, all radio and television programmes operated by ORF broadcast the sound of the Pummerin, the bell of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, followed by the Donauwalzer (“The Blue Danube”) by Johann Strauss II.
- In France, New Year’s Eve is usually celebrated with a feast, le Réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre. This feast customarily includes special dishes including foie gras, seafood such as oysters, and champagne.
- Parties are common in Germany on New Year’s Eve. In Berlin, at the Brandenburg Gate, fireworks light up the sky and a huge celebration starts.
- In Greece, children set the tone for New Years. They go out in the morning and sing carols at local stores and houses and in the night, families and friends gather to have dinner. People also exchange gifts and cut the traditional cake called «Vasilopita» which contains a coin. When a person gets the piece that has the coin, he is the lucky one of the day and it means that he Is going to be lucky for the rest of the year.
- In Italy, New Year’s Eve is celebrated by the observation of traditional rituals, such as wearing red underwear. An ancient tradition in southern regions which is rarely followed today was disposing of old or unused items by dropping them from the window.
- In the Netherlands , New Year’s Eve is usually celebrated as a cozy evening with family or friends, although many people attend big organized parties.
- The most prominent New Year’s celebration in England is that of Central London, where the arrival of midnight is greeted with the chimes of Big Ben. In recent years, a major fireworks display has also been held, with fireworks launched from the nearby London Eye Ferris wheel.
- First-Footing os a huge tradition on New Year’s Eve in Scotland. It involves friends or family members going to each other’s houses with a gift of whisky and sometimes a lump of coal. In Edinburg, New Year’s Eve is celebrated with a major street party along Princes Street. The cannon is fired at Edinburgh Castle at the stroke of midnight, followed by a large fireworks display.
- Each major city in Australia holds New Year’s Eve celebrations, usually accompanied by a fireworks display and other events.
