1. Germany – Brandenburg Gate Festival
This big party happens on the principal touristic point of Berlin: The Brandenburg Gate, where a big stage is set up to receive many singers and bands. The shows and the countdown to new year is televised.
There’s a burning of fireworks, drinking and food’s stalls through the avenues that usually attract near one million people. People usually wear anything that would keep them warm and the common colors are silver, gold and much shine on the clothes.
2. China – Red and Gold tradition
In China the new year is celebrated according to the lunar calendar. The tradition starts one week before the new year’s eve, when the Chinese people clean their homes to put away the bad spirits.
At the 23rd day of the last lunar month they to put red papers, where are written good luck words written in gold paint, for protecting who lives in the house.
Red and gold are the official colors of the Chinese new year and they’re responsible to bring good luck to who’s wearing them in new clothes. The families get together and make a full table in the new year’s eve. When the clock strikes midnight the oldest person in the family give money to the youngest.
The Lantern Festival happens at the 15th day of the month. It is dedicated to an animal from the Chinese horoscope and is the last day of the celebration.
3. New York – Big Apple and kisses
New York has the most famous New Year’s party of the United States. People meet at Times Square to drink, dance and wait for the countdown. when a Big Apple explodes at midnight spreading candies everywhere.
Besides the burning of fireworks there’s an another tradition that’s common at USA: The midnight kiss to celebrate the new cycle that’s starting. This habit is very known and has spread out in another countries, like Canada, England and Ireland.
4. Ecuador – Hitting the “Old Years”
In this country, the party is on the streets where people parade with the “monigotes” or “años viejos” (“old years”) markers or toys made of different materials that represents the past years and difficulties they have gone through in the last year. It is common to see dolls with politicians faces too: all of them are burned in the avenues.
They usually make fire bones to burn things they don’t want to take for the next year. The act means purification, releasing. Ecuadorians believe it brings good luck and free them of the mischance.
5. India – Light on the way
The Indian new year is known as “Festival of Lights”. The celebration is full of history and religiosity. People put lanterns everywhere because they believe that their Gods will return by following the lights.
The houses are decorated with lamps for five days. During the night friends and families exchange gifts and burn some fireworks to destroy the bad forces.
6. Greece – A cake and a coin
In Greece January’s 1st is Saint Basil’s Day and at the New Year’s Eve is common to serve the “vasilopita” (Cake of Saint Basil). Before baking it, they put a gold coin inside the dough.
According to the tradition, the boss of the family save the first slice to Jesus Christ and the others are distributed to the other members: starting with the oldest and finishing with the youngest. For the tradition, the person who finds the coin in its slice will be lucky for the whole new year.
7. South Africa – Freedom and parades
In South Africa the year starts with a kind of Carnival Parade. People get out of their homes wearing costumes, with musical instruments, dancing and having fun all around the cities.
The South African Carnival starts at January’s 2nd because at this day, in 1830, the slaves were released. The celebration is called by them as a “carnival of minstrels”.
Image Source: The Guardian
8. Netherlands – Ice and Fire
At the Dutch New Year the burning of fireworks starts at 10 am and lasts all day long. That’s why they believe it can put the bad spirits away.
On the beaches there are a competition to build the biggest fire. The Scheveningen beach is famous for building the biggest one, which keeps the people warm enough to do the traditional “New Year’s Diving” when people go take a bath in the North Sea.
9. Scotland – Hogmanay’s events
The New Year in Scotland is known as “Hogmanay” and lasts three days. At midnight, the castle cannons of Edinburgh shoot, fireworks burn, a piper does a solo and people recites the poem “Auld Lang Syne” by Robert Burns, that talks about the matter of new and old friends.
They exchange cookies, drinks and cake to wish good luck and one of the most famous events at the festival is the “Torchlight Procession”, when people get the torches lighted and make a walking to the streets. The Hogmanay Festival has a lot of fire because of the Viking tradition, that believes this element is a symbol of purifying.
Image Source: AFP Getty Images
10. Denmark – Shine and Glow
On Denmark people get dressed in a glamorous way, using colorful hats and accessories that shine bright. In every house there’s a lot of food, confetti and serpentine.
During the whole year, a law in Denmark prohibits the use of fireworks, but at New Year’s Eve the law is not valid, so people buy a lot of it.
Image Source: visitdenmark.com