How Is New Year Celebrated In Different Countries?

Christmas and New Year are just around the corner, and the smell of pine needles, tangerines and sweet spices is in the air.

Perhaps you'd like to add a new twist to the traditional festivities? Now's the time to learn about New Year's Eve traditions worldwide. Keep it a secret: you'll need it to make your holiday memorable and to surprise your children, relatives and friends.

For miracles to happen, they have to be waited for or, better still, invoked. That is probably why many countries have omens associated with New Year's Eve events. For example, the New Year will not come in Scotland unless it is let in. So at midnight, the head of the family opens the door to the house — the old year goes away, and the new one comes to replace it.

In Estonia, people don't stay at home for too long: seing a soot-covered chimney sweep in the street is a good luck (but in order not to play with fate, residents often give each other a toy figurine of a chimney sweep).

If you travel with children to Austria for the winter, we recommend visiting  St Stephen's Square at midnight on 1 January. The Viennese believe that the ringing of its bells is a good omen for the coming year.

On New Year's Eve, Germans don't even break in, but enter or jump in. "Einen guten Rutsch in das Neue Jahr!", which is literally "Have a good entry into the New Year!". Many people celebrate the special day with sparkling wine, fortune telling with molten lead and at night there are fireworks. As for the festive meal, one common dish for Neujahr is Herring served with cabbage and carrots. This lavish dish is believed to bring wealth in the coming year by some folks in Germany. Another popular dish that tastes delicious is lentil soup served with pork.  It is also believed that eating Sauerkraut will bring blessings and wealth for the New Year.

If you are planning a holiday with children in Spain, try eating grapes before the New Year... at speed. Spanish New Year traditions say you must eat 12 grapes before the bell rings to have a good year.

New Year's Eve in Italy is celebrated loudly, with firecrackers and fireworks lighting up the sky on 1 January. In some parts of Southern Italy,  people traditionally throw old things out of windows, symbolically disposing of bad memories from the past while welcoming a better future. This tradition has been slowly disappearing in the last few years for the safety of those walking the streets, transforming into safe manner – using the garbage bin.

Italians exchange good wishes and toast at midnight with strictly Italian sparkling wine. After having a traditional New Year's Eve cenone (big New Year’s Eve dinner), many Italians head outdoors to their city's historic streets and piazzas to meet the friends.

In Bulgaria, a rich meal is prepared, which includes a Banitsa (traditional Bulgarian pastry) or bread and fortunes hidden in it, including the coin (this custom may vary in each family or region). The pie is broken and distributed to everyone in the family. There should be enough pieces of the meal for everyone in the house + 1 additional piece. It is called St. Mary.

One of Bulgaria's most famous New Year's rituals is "survakane". It is performed with decorated with coins, popcorn, dried fruits, small bagels, ribbons, and threads stick, known as survachka, on New Year's Day, as a measure of health during the year. So, a member of the family, typically the youngest, lightly pats the back of others with a survaknitsa during on the morning of New Year's Day. While doing this, he or she recites a short verse wishing their relative well for the new year.

In Greece, at the beginning of the New Year, the head of each family smashes a pomegranate against the house wall. The family will have good luck if the pomegranate seeds are scattered around the yard. The Vasilopita (meaning St. Basil's Cake) also has become a Greek tradition, where on the first day of the New Year, Saint Basil's Day, the faithful cut the cake hoping to find the coin (flouri) that is said to bring them blessings throughout the whole year.

In Hungary, it's traditional to whistle in the New Year, especially for children, for whom special pipes and horns are bought.

In Japan, the New Year is celebrated with laughter. After a good laugh, they listen to the bells, which are supposed to drive out all the bad things of the past year.

And this tradition may seem interesting to travellers. In Peru, it is believed that on the night of December 31/ January 1, you should pack a suitcase and walk around your neighbourhood to make your journey successful.

And in some countries, it's customary to get up to mischief during the holidays — and children can get involved. In Argentina, for example, the streets are covered with paper instead of snow on New Year's Day. In this country, unwanted newspapers, magazines and old papers are thrown out of windows.

In Denmark, New Year's Eve is accompanied by the sound of smashing dishes as old plates and cups are crushed against the doors of neighbours and friends. The more shards there are on the doorstep in the morning, the more fortunate the year will be.

And what a way to celebrate the New Year in Spain! If you go outside, you can get caught in a rain of sweets. Carnival revellers throw them around.

In Cuba, water is poured out of windows at midnight on New Year's Eve. Those who are drenched rejoice — the year promises to be happy..

Unlike the quiet Christmas, New Year's Eve is a noisy occasion. But how New Year's Eve is celebrated in England beats all other events. On 1 January, thousands of actors, dancers and musicians begin their festive parade in Trafalgar Square.

How bright are the festive illuminations on the streets of cities! The biggest light display is in Times Square in New York City, where millions of people watch the ball of flame slowly descend across the square to symbolise the New Year.

In Scotland, on the other hand, it is live fire as barrels of tar roll through the streets on New Year's Eve. That is a way of saying goodbye to the old year.

In England and France, a special log is placed in the fireplace. However, this is more of a Christmas tradition. On Christmas Day, a thick log is cut down. It is left to dry for a year until the following Christmas when it is ceremoniously placed in the fireplace. The English expect the log to burn for a long time as a good omen for the coming year.
In Sweden, candles light up the festive night. A homemade candle is the best New Year's present here.

Before New Year's Eve, children in many European countries received presents from St Nicholas, Santa Claus and his helpers. In January, they will receive gifts from the Befana in Italy and the Three Wise Men in Germany, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Spain.

Children in Norway also prepare a treat — ears of oats. The goat is supposed to eat them and put the presents in the children's shoes. In England, it is customary to give inexpensive gifts, and nobody knows who gets what: the owner of each souvenir is chosen by lot.

In Finland, small gifts are stacked on the table and covered with a bowl. The anticipation makes even the simplest gift precious. But the most unusual gift comes from Greece. Guests bring a stone to the host and try to find a bigger one: the bigger it is, the bigger the host's purse will be.

In many countries, homes are decorated for Christmas, but festive decorations also make the New Year's first days special. In Catholic countries, the Christmas tree is decorated. In England, mistletoe, holly and ilex are used for decoration. In Germany, we decorate our homes with elaborate poinsettias. But in Japan, they make a "kadomatsu". It translated as 'pine at the entrance', but bamboo, rice straw, ferns, and tangerine twigs are used in addition to pine branches.

In China and Vietnam, a mandarin tree or a peach blossom is placed in the home to symbolise prosperity. And in some Asian countries, decorating with a rake is considered necessary. This accessory is said to help you 'rake in luck and good fortune'.

Does everyone celebrate New Year's Eve on 1 January? No, not everywhere. Everyone has heard of the Chinese New Year celebrations and would like to have their celebration.

The Chinese New Year is between 21 January and 21 February. During this time, giant dragons are dancing in the streets, and impressive fireworks are in the sky (if you can see them behind thousands of Chinese lanterns).

• Tet — Vietnamese New Year coincides with Chinese New Year.
• 21 March marks New Year's Eve — Novruz in some Asian countries. In Turkey, for example, New Year can be celebrated twice: on 1 January and 21 March.
• In Nepal, the new year is in mid-April.
• And the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah falls in September.

But now December is on the calendar, and the magic night is just around the corner. Happy New Year! We wish you many new travels and experiences! And choose the right destination among the best resorts for holidays with children, of course, with the help of our website.