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New Year Celebrations Around The World

"New Year's Eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moments of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights". - Hamilton Wright Mabie.

One of the oldest holidays that finds its origin in the harvest festival of ancient Babylon is 'New Year's Day'. This festival was eleven days long and was celebrated to herald the planting of new crops. It started on March 23rd and meant freedom for all, during which the King went away, only to return after the festival ended and people started working again.

It was the Roman emperor Julius Caesar, who invented the solar Julian calendar in 46 B.C. and assigned January 1 as New Year Day. New Year traditions and celebrations differ all over the world. People of different cultures and countries celebrate New Year in different ways. Dive deep into the following sections to learn more about New Year celebrations around the world.

• The Japanese New Year begins with everybody laughing at the same moment to usher happiness into their homes. People hang a straw rope in front of their houses so that good luck can climb through the windows easily.

• In British Columbia, Canada, swimming in the ice-cold water like a polar bear on New Year’s Day is said to bring in good luck.

• The Greeks call New Year’s Day as ‘Festival of Saint Basil’ and exchange gifts, while the Scottish know it as ‘Hogmanay’ and burn barrels of tar which are symbol of the previous year.

• The Chinese New Year on the other hand is celebrated on the day of the new moon that falls between January 17th and February 19th and is known as Yuan Tan. In China, a street procession known as the ‘Festival of Lanterns’ is taken out on this day.

• The Vietnamese New Year is known as ‘Tet Nguyen Dan’ and is celebrated between January 21st and February 19th. Freeing a carp fish on this day is said to bring good luck in Vietnam.

• In distant America, the Americans organize New Year parties for families and friends, attend parades and watch football.

• The common theme in all New Year celebrations across the globe is hope and happiness. The Spaniards celebrate New Year by eating 12 grapes at midnight. They do this as they believe that eating 12 grapes at midnight will bring along 12 happy months for them in the coming year.

• The Dutch celebrate the New Year’s Eve by creating bonfires of Christmas trees on the streets and by bursting crackers. According to Dutch traditions, fire is believed to sluice the old and welcome newness.

• In France the New Year’s Eve is known as Eve la Saint – Sylvestre. The French celebrate it by hosting a special feast known as ‘le Réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre’ in which traditional dishes like pancakes, foie gras and champagne are consumed because they believe that the special dinner will bring them prosperity.