December 31st is a magical day; out with the old, in with the new! The final day of the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve is a time when we celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another with a clean slate of hopes, expectations, resolutions and goals.
In America, people celebrate the New Year with noisemakers, parades, food, music, fireworks, alcohol; just about anything that makes up a great party. Around the world, the New Year is celebrated much in the same way although the specific traditions vary.
Auld Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot and auld lang syne. For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We'll take a cup of kindness yet, For auld lang syne! Auld Lang Syne is sung in most English speaking countries at midnight on December 31st, as the New Year arrives. Scottish poet Robert Burns is credited with writing most of the poem which was first published in 1796, after his death. The tune comes from an old Scottish folk song; loosely translated, Auld Lang Syne means for the sake of old times. Beginning in 1929, Canadian band leader Guy Lombardo played the song each year in live performances that were, in later years, broadcast on radio and television in North America. Lombardo later made recordings of the song which are still played at New Year's celebrations today.France
The New Year begins at midnight with a toast of white wine, hot wine or champagne. Church services on New Year's Eve are common in some areas, such as in the village of Hautes-Pyrenees, which is near the Spanish border.After the service, congregants walk to the vineyards to begin the grape harvest, which begins at midnight. A strong, sweet wine is made from the grapes that have matured naturally on the vines; bottles are marked with labels that say the grapes were harvested on January 1st. At New Year's celebrations in France, revelers sing the song of a New Year (Chanson du nouvel An), which is adaptation of the Scottish Auld Lang Syne.
Australia
Cities around Australia celebrate the New Year with fireworks and parties. In Sydney, one of the country's largest cities, celebrations often include fireworks and light shows which coincide with the particular theme of the day. A couple of million people attend the display, which is held at the Sydney Harbour. Displays and events are held in other major Australian cities such as Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane.Canada
In some parts of Canada, Quebec, ice fishing is a New Year's tradition; taking place after the late night party on December 31st and into the early morning hours of January 1st.Other areas of Canada celebrate the New Year with music and fireworks. New Year's Eve is a highlight for many revelers who gather outside of Queen Victoria Park in Niagara Falls for concerts and fireworks. Big cities like Montreal and Toronto in Canada also have large New Year's celebrations complete with fireworks and music.
Germany - Church services are parts of some New Year's celebrations in Germany, often ending with a prayer at midnight. Public celebrations featuring music, firecrackers and fireworks take place in many German cities and some people give each other gifts of a four-leaf-clover as a symbol of good luck in the New Year.
Bleigiessen is a fortune-telling method that involves melting a bit of lead on a silver spoon which is heated by the flame of a candle; the lead is then poured into a bowl of cold water. As it solidifies, the forming shape, such as a circle or heart, symbolizes the luck - or lack of it- in the coming year.
Ireland
New Year's celebrations in Ireland run from modest to ornate, depending on the town or city. In any given area, the local pubs may be filled with revelers.Some areas ring in the New Year with church bells, other areas celebrate with fireworks and music. Some people take walks along the shores of beach areas and participate in organized dips which take place in the Atlantic Ocean or Irish Sea. Popular destinations in Ireland for New Year's festivities include Galway, Limerick and Dublin, where there is a parade on New Year's Day.
Italy-Capodanno (the "head of the year") or Notte di San Silvestro (the night of St. Silvestro) is the celebration of the New Year to those living in Italy. Foods include lentils, which symbolize good fortune, and sausages called zampone. Sweet breads like panetonne and torciglione are served to all as a symbol of hope and prosperity. Fireworks are displayed across Italy at midnight. People celebrate by drinking sparkling wine, among other favorites.
Japan
The New Year (Shogatsu or Oshogatsu) is Japan's most important holiday. The day before the New Year, Japanese families clean and decorate their homes to welcome the arrival of Toshigami, the New Year's God. Doors are decorated with a Shimekezari; straw ropes and fern leaves that are twisted together and decorated with oranges and other items that symbolize good luck. At midnight on December 31st, Buddhist temples all around the country participate in joya no kane; a ringing of bells 108 times to symbol the 108 sins of their belief; thus cleansing the Japanese of wrongdoing during the previous year. The Watched Night Bell in Tokyo is a major attraction in Japan for the bell ringing ceremony.Almost like a combination of American Idol and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve that is seen in the United States, Japan's popular New Year's Eve television show is called Kohaku Uta Gassen or Red and White Year-end Song Battle. It is a sort of 'battle of the sexes contest of male and female singers who are invited to participate. New Year parties in Japanese feature games and special foods like toshikoshi (buckwheat noodles,) and mocha (rice cakes). Businesses throw Bonenkai ("Forget-the-year-Parties") for employees in December and 'Shinnenkai (New Year Parties) in January.
The Chinese New Year, which is the most important Chinese holiday, is based on the country's use of the lunar and solar calendars. The festival begins on the first day of the first Chinese month of zheng yuŠ, which falls in January or February of the Gregorian calendar and ends with the Lantern Festival (Yuan Xiao)on the 15th day. While personal customs and traditions vary as to how the holiday is celebrated, Chinese New Year's Eve is when Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner. Ch£ xi means "Year-pass Eve."
Families clean their homes to sweep away ill-fortune and bring in good luck. Decorations include red cut-out lanterns with good fortune designs which indicate themes of wealth, health and long life. New Year's Eve foods are plentiful; ducks, pigs, chickens, rice and sweets.
The night is capped off with fireworks and stories and in the morning, parents give their children red paper envelopes containing different amounts of money. During Chinese New Year celebrations, parades featuring floats of dragons (associated with wealth and prosperity), dancers and musicians fill the streets.
Lantern Festivals, which signify the end of the Chinese New Year, take place on the 15th day; children visit temples at night, carrying paper lanterns and trying to solve the riddles that are on them.
United States of America
Americans celebrate the New Year in a variety of ways, whether staying home, hosting or attending a party, visiting the local nightclubs or visiting one of the nation's New Year's Eve attractions," such as Times Square in New York City. If they are not visiting the Big Apple, many Americans watch the ball dropping on television, where a crystal sphere that weighs 11,875 pounds and spans 12-feet in diameter is lowered in Time Square, beginning at 11:59:00 pm, reaching the bottom of the tower at the stroke of Midnight. On January 1, the Rose Parade takes place in Pasadena, California and is televised across the nation. There are New Year's Day parties to attend and, for college football fans, the Rose Bowl, which is the first game of the BCS Bowl Season. The BCS National Championship Game takes place later in the month of January. (www.suitel101.com)Daily News
