Happy New Year

New Year celebrations around the world:

New Year festivals are among the oldest and most universally observed. They generally include rites and ceremonies which are expressive of mortification, purgation, 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. It is traditional to greet the New Year at midnight and then celebrate at least the first few minutes in the company of friends and family.

Many people make New Year resolutions...a list of decisions about how they will live during the coming year, which may or may not be kept.

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.

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.

In Wales, it was an ancient custom for the boys of the village go from house to house on New Year's morning at around 4 o'clock. Using an evergreen twig, they would sprinkle the inhabitants and then perform the same ceremony in each room of the home. This was believed to bring good luck.

GREECE: January 1st is an important day in the Greek calendar. Not only is it the first day of the year, it is also Saint Basil's Day. Saint Basil was one of the forefathers of the Greek Orthodox Church.

He is remembered for his kindness and generosity to the poor. Saint Basil is believed to have died on January 1st. New Year is perhaps even more festive than Christmas since it is the main day for gift-giving and for telling stories of how Saint Basil would come in the night and leave presents in children's shoes.

There are many special dishes prepared but the most important is Vassilopitta or Saint Basily's Cake.

EGYPT: The New Year is a public holiday and is very festive in atmosphere.

Although it is known in advance when the New Year begins, Egyptians still observe the custom that the new crescent moon must be seen before the official announcement is made.

The sighting is carried out at the Muhammed Ali mosque, located at the top of a hill in Cairo.

The message is then passed onto the religious leader known as the Grand Mufti who then proclaims the New Year. On New Year's Day, everyone wears special clothes and even the females, who customarily wear only black, are allowed to don bright colours.

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.

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 favour red as the colour 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.

JAPAN: Japan adopted the solar calendar system in the late Nineteenth Century, abandoning the lunar system that had been used for centuries. Thus, New Year's Day or Gantan arrives on the January 1st, the same day as it does for most countries outside of Asia. Nevertheless, Japan's festivities are no less colourful or steeped in tradition than those of its Eastern neighbours.

Buddhist temples ring their bells shortly before Midnight on New Year's Eve and people count along with the 108 pealings, which represent the hardships and sorrows of the past year.

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 per cent 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.

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 colourful costumes and dancing in the streets to the sound of drums.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: New Year's Eve in the United States is a major social event. Clubs all over the nation are packed with party-goers who stay out until dawn, celebrating the advent of a New Year. The traditional New Year Ball is dropped every year in Times Square, New York City, at 12 o'clock. This televised event is often broadcast to other areas of the world.

Many Americans celebrate the New Year by visiting friends, relatives and neighbours. The traditional New Year meal consists of Many families gather to watch the various televised parades and subsequent football games.

The Tournament of Roses parade began in 1887 when a zoologist who had seen such a display in France suggested to the Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena, California that an "artistic celebration of the ripening of the oranges" be held at the beginning of the year.

(www.novareinna.com/festive/atw)