| New Year's Eve |
| Also called |
- Hogmanay (Scotland)
- Calennig (Wales)
- Silvester (Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine)
- Réveillon (France and Brazil)
- Old Year's Night (Caribbean and Iceland)
- Ano Novo (Brazil, Portugal, Macau)
- Año Nuevo (Latin America and Philippines)
- Nochevieja (Spain)
- Bagong Taon (Philippines)
- Oud en Nieuw (Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, Netherlands Antilles)
- Nyttårsaften (Norway)
- Nyårsafton (Sweden)
- Uusivuosi, (Finland)
- Uusaasta (Estonia)
- Revelion, Ajunul Anului Nou (Romania)
|
| Observed by |
People around the world |
| Type |
International |
| Significance |
The final day of the Gregorian year |
| Date |
December 31, climaxing at midnight |
| Celebrations |
Reflection; Late-night partying; Family gatherings; Feasting; Gift exchanges; Fireworks; Countdowns; Watchnight services social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks |
| Related to |
New Year's Day |
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, the last day of the year, is on December 31. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated at evening social gatherings, where many people dance, eat, drink alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the new year. Some people attend a watchnight service.[1] The celebrations generally go on past midnight into January 1 (New Year's Day).
New Year traditions and celebrations in Canada vary regionally. New Year's Eve (also called New Year's Eve Day or Veille du Jour de l'An in French) is generally a social holiday. In many cities there are large celebrations which may feature concerts, late-night partying, sporting events, and fireworks, with free public transit service during peak party times in most major cities. In some areas, such as in rural Quebec, people ice fish and drink alcoholic beverages with their friends until the early hours of January 1.[2]
From 1956 to 1976, Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians serenaded Canada on the CBC, via a feed from CBS, from the ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue in New York City. After Lombardo's death in 1977, the Royal Canadians continued on CBC and CBS until 1978. The song Auld Lang Syne is still a popular song to sing at midnight on New Year's Eve, with the Lombardo version being the standard.
Between 1992 and 2008 the annual "Year of the Farce" episode of Air Farce TV series, a television series featuring sketch comedy troupe Royal Canadian Air Farce was broadcast on New Year's Eve. The shows, which aired on CBC Television, featured sketches celebrating and lampooning major events and news stories of the year. It debuted as a one-off special in 1992, but was so popular that the Year of the Farce episodes continued as a regular feature of this TV series, until the series finale on New Year's Eve 2008. Members of the original cast returned for reunion specials in 2009 and 2010.[3][4]
Similarly in Quebec, Télévision de Radio-Canada also airs a yearly New Year's Eve comedy special, Bye Bye, which has been produced by various comedians since its original run from 1968–1998, and its revival by Québécois troupe Rock et Belles Oreilles in 2006. Its 2008 edition, hosted and co-produced by Québécois television personality Véronique Cloutier, became infamous for several sketches that many viewers perceived as offensive, including sketches making fun of English Canadians and then American president-elect Barack Obama.[5]
Mexicans celebrate New Year's Eve, (Spanish: Vispera de Año Nuevo) by eating a grape with each of the twelve chimes of a clock's bell during the midnight countdown, while making a wish with each one. Mexican families decorate homes and parties in colors that represent wishes for the upcoming year: red encourages an overall improvement of lifestyle and love, yellow encourages blessings of improved employment conditions, green for improved financial circumstances, and white for improved health. Mexican sweet bread is baked with a coin or charm hidden in the dough. When the bread is served, the recipient of the slice with the coin or charm is said to be blessed with good luck in the New Year. Another tradition is to make a list of all the bad or unhappy events over the past 12 months; before midnight, this list is thrown into a fire, symbolizing the removal of negative energy from the new year.[6] At the same time, thanks are expressed for all the good things during the year that is ending so that they will continue in the new year.[7]
Mexicans celebrate with a late-night dinner with their families, the traditional meal being turkey and mole. Afterwards many people attend parties outside the home, for example, in night clubs. In Mexico City there is a street festival on New Year's Eve centered around the Zocalo, the city's main square.[8] Celebrations include firecrackers, fireworks and sparklers and shouts of "¡Feliz año nuevo!"
In Puerto Rico, New Year's Eve is celebrated with friends and family. The Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan is the main attraction for Puerto Ricans during the celebration. It has Latin music, fireworks at midnight along with the signature song "Auld Lang Syne" in Spanish, and great recipes.
In the United States, New Year's Eve is celebrated with elegant formal parties and family-oriented activities. Celebrations often center on dropping or raising an item during the countdown, especially on the East coast. New Year's Day is a public holiday in the United States.
Since 1907, the "ball drop" in New York City has been a major component of the New Year's Eve celebration.[9] The 11,875-pound (5,386 kg), 12-foot (3.7 m) diameter Waterford crystal ball located on the roof of One Times Square is lowered starting at 11:59 pm, and reaches the bottom of its tower, which triggers the fireworks to go off at the stroke of midnight. As the ball descends, the crowd counts down the final ten seconds. Toshiba's Times Square billboard screen known as the ToshibaVision also tells the crowd when to start the new year. This practice debuted when ITT branded the sign in the mid 1990s, then was revamped many times, specifically during the time Discover Card sponsored the sign. From 1981 to 1988, the city revamped the ball to resemble a large apple, in recognition of its nickname as "the Big Apple".[citation needed] Similar ball drops are performed in many towns and cities across the United States.[9] The custom derives from the time signal that used to be given at noon in harbors.
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, currently broadcast on ABC, debuted in 1972. Dick Clark hosted and produced the show every year from 1972 to 2011, except 2005. In 2009, the show was renamed Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest due to the replacement of most of Clark's on-air duties by media personality and American Idol host Ryan Seacrest. In 1999, the show was integrated into ABC 2000 Today, with Dick Clark and Jack Ford reporting during the "ABC 2000" broadcast.
From 1956 to 1976 on CBS, Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians serenaded the United States from the ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue in New York City. After Lombardo's death in 1977, the Royal Canadians continued on CBS until 1978. Happy New Year, America replaced it in 1979, continuing until 1995. The song Auld Lang Syne has become a popular song to sing at midnight on New Year's Eve, with the Lombardo version being the standard.
NBC also has hosted New Year's coverage. Between 1951 and 1976, Ben Grauer was known for his live television coverage of New Year's Eve at Times Square in New York broadcast on NBC. Thereafter, the networks' late night hosts have hosted special editions of their regular shows (including a special Central Time Zone-specific countdown on The Tonight Show), but since 2003, the network has opted for a special entitled New Year's Eve with Carson Daly, which is currently hosted by Carson Daly.
FOX, CNN, and Fox News Channel also have their own New Year's specials along with the Spanish-language networks Telemundo and Univision.
New Year's Eve is traditionally the busiest day of the year at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland in Anaheim, California, where the parks stay open late and the usual nightly fireworks are supplemented by an additional New Year's Eve-specific show at midnight.
Over sixty cities nationwide celebrate First Night, a non-alcohol family-friendly New Year's Celebration, generally featuring performing artists, community events, parades, and fireworks displays to celebrate the New Year. In addition to First Night (and sometimes in conjunction with it), a large list of over 100 communities hold imitations of the Times Square ball drop based on local culture, with these celebrations being particularly popular in rural Pennsylvania.
In the Roman Catholic Church, January 1 is a Holy Day of Obligation honoring Mary, Mother of God. All faithful Catholics must attend Mass on January 1. However a vigil Mass may be held on the evening before a Holy Day; thus it has become customary to celebrate Mass on the evening of New Year's Eve. (New Year's Eve is a feast day honoring Pope Sylvester I in the Roman Catholic calendar, but it is not widely recognized in the United States.)
Many Protestant Christian congregations have New Year's Eve watchnight services. Some, especially Lutherans and Methodists and those in the African American community, have a tradition known as "Watch Night", in which the faithful congregate in services continuing past midnight, giving thanks for the blessings of the outgoing year and praying for divine favor during the upcoming year. Watch Night can be traced back to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism,[10] who learned the custom from the Moravian Brethren who came to England in the 1730s. Moravian congregations still observe the Watch Night service on New Year's Eve. Watch Night took on special significance to African Americans on New Year's Eve 1862, as slaves anticipated the arrival of January 1, 1863, when Lincoln had announced he would sign the Emancipation Proclamation.[11]
In Austria, New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with friends and family. At exactly midnight, all radio and television programmes operated by ÖRF broadcast the sound of the Pummerin, the bell of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, followed by the Donauwalzer ("The Blue Danube") by Johann Strauss II. Many people dance to this at parties or in the street. Large crowds gather in the streets of Vienna, where the municipal government organises a series of stages where bands and orchestras play. Fireworks are set off by both municipal governments and individuals.
In Belgium, New Year's Eve (Sint Sylvester Vooravond ("Saint Sylvester's Eve") or Oudjaar ("old year")) is celebrated with family parties, called réveillons in the French speaking areas. On television, a stand-up comedian reviews the past year after which a musical or variety show signals midnight, when everyone kisses, exchanges good luck greetings, and toasts the New Year and absent relatives and friends with champagne. Many people light fireworks or go into the street to watch them. Most cities have their own fireworks display: the most famous is at Mont des Arts in Brussels. Cities, cafés and restaurants are crowded. Free bus services and special New Year's Eve taxis (the Responsible Young Drivers) bring everyone home afterwards.
On January 1 (Nieuwjaarsdag in Dutch) children read their "New Year's letter" and give holiday greeting cards of decorated paper featuring golden cherubs and angels, colored roses and ribbon-tied garlands to parents and godparents, on decorated paper.
Belgian farmers also wish their animals a happy New Year.[12]
In the Czech Republic New Year's Eve (Silvestr) is the noisiest day of the year. People generally gather with friends at parties, in pubs, clubs, in the streets, or city squares to eat, drink, and celebrate. Fireworks are a popular tradition; in large cities such as Prague, the fireworks start before noon and steadily increase until midnight. In the first minutes after midnight, people toast with champagne, wish each other a happy new year and go outside for the fireworks.
All major TV stations air entertainment shows before and after the midnight countdown, which is followed by the national anthem. The President gives his New Year speech in the morning.
People in Denmark may go to parties or entertain guests at home. There is a special evening meal, with concludes with Kransekage, a special desert, along with champagne. Other traditional dishes are boiled cod, stewed kale and cured saddle of pork.[13] However, expensive cuts of beef as well as sushi have become increasingly popular.[14]
Two significant traditional events are broadcast on television and radio on December 31: the monarch's New Year message from Amalienborg Palace[15] at 6pm and the Town Hall Clock in Copenhagen striking midnight. Thousands of people gather together in Rådhuspladsen (the Town Hall Square) and cheer.[16] The Royal Guard[17][18] parade in their red gala uniforms. The climax of the celebration is fireworks launched as the Town Hall Tower bells chime on the stroke of midnight.[19]
Thousands of people gather in
central London for New Year celebrations, including fireworks at the
London Eye at midnight.
The United Kingdom's celebrations are noticeably divided among the three nations that compose it: England, Scotland and Wales (each has its section below). In England, clocks symbolize the transition that occurs at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. The celebration in London focuses on Big Ben, the clock housed in the clock tower at the Palace of Westminster. The celebrations are televised from London by the BBC in the English regions, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Parties are held across the country, in pubs, clubs, and private houses. At the stroke of midnight people join hands in a ring and sing Auld Lang Syne.
On New Year's Eve 2010, an estimated 250,000 people gathered to view an eight-minute fireworks display around and above the London Eye which was, for the first time, set to a musical soundtrack. The soundtrack included songs by British artists such as Blur, The Beatles, and Queen.[20] The celebrations in London continued into January 1, with the New Year's Day Parade, held annually since 1987. The 2011 parade involved more than 10,000 musicians, cheerleaders and performers.[21]
Other major New Year events are held in the cities of Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, and Newcastle.
Bideford, in north Devon, is also known for its New Year's Eve celebrations, featuring a carnival and fancy dress. The celebration centers on Bideford's quayside and around its Old Bridge, with a lone piper playing Auld Lang Syne at midnight, followed by a fireworks display.[22][23]
To celebrate New Year's Eve in Estonia, people decorate villages, visit friends and prepare lavish meals.
Some believe that people should eat seven, nine, or twelve times on New Year's Eve. These are lucky numbers in Estonia; it is believed that for each meal consumed, the person gains the strength of that many men the following year. Meals should not be completely finished—some food should be left for ancestors and spirits who visit the house on New Year's Eve.
Traditional New Year food includes pork with sauerkraut or Estonian sauerkraut (mulgikapsad), baked potatoes and swedes with hog's head, and white and blood sausage. Vegetarians can eat potato salad with navy beet[clarification needed] and pâté. Gingerbread and marzipan are very popular for dessert. Traditional New Year drinks include beer and mead, but mulled wine and champagne have become modern favourites.
In Finland, New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with family or friends. Late supper is served, often featuring wieners, Janssonin kiusaus, and potato salad. Some municipalities organize fireworks at midnight. Consumer fireworks are also very popular. A Finnish tradition is molybdomancy - to tell the fortunes of the New Year by melting "tin" (actually lead) in a tiny pan on the stove and throwing it quickly in a bucket of cold water. The resulting blob of metal is analyzed, for example by interpreting shadows it casts by candlelight. These predictions are however never taken seriously.
The Finnish Broadcasting Company broadcasts the reception of the New Year at Helsinki Senate Square. Countdown to New Year is with the Helsinki Cathedral clock. In the afternoon programme, the German comedy sketch Dinner for One is shown every year. On the radio, just before midnight, the poem Hymyilevä Apollo (Smiling Apollo) by Eino Leino is read.[24]
In France, New Year's Eve (la Saint-Sylvestre) is usually celebrated with a feast, le Réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre (Cap d'Any in Northern Catalonia). This feast customarily includes special dishes including foie gras, seafood such as oysters, and champagne. The celebration can be a simple, intimate dinner with friends and family or, une soirée dansante, a much fancier ball.
On New Year's Day (le Jour de l'An) friends and family exchange New Year's resolutions, kisses, and wishes. Some people eat ice cream.[25]
The holiday period ends on January 6 with the celebration of Epiphany (Jour des Rois). A traditional type of flat pastry cake, la galette des rois, made of two sheets of puff pastry, filled with frangipane (almond paste) is eaten. The cake contains a fève, a small china doll; whomever finds it becomes king or queen and gets to wear a gold paper crown and choose his or her partner. This tradition can last up to two weeks.
In Germany, parties are common on New Year's Eve (Silvester). Fireworks are very popular, both with individuals and large municipal displays. Every year Berlin hosts one of the largest New Year's Eve celebrations in all of Europe, attended by over one million people. The focal point is the Brandenburg Gate, where midnight fireworks are centered. Germans toast the New Year with a glass of Sekt (German sparkling wine) or champagne.
Since 1972, each New Year's Eve, several German television stations broadcast a short comedy play in English (recorded by West German television in 1963) entitled Dinner for One.[26] A line from the comedy sketch, "the same procedure as every year", has become a catch phrase in Germany.[27]
Bleigießen (pouring lead) is another German New Year's Eve custom, which involves telling fortunes by the shapes made by molten lead dropped into cold water. Other auspicious actions are to touch a chimney sweep or have him rub some ash on your forehead for good luck and health. Jelly-filled doughnuts with and without liquor fillings are eaten. Finally a tiny marzipan pig is consumed for more good luck.
New Year's Eve (Szilveszter) in Hungary is celebrated with home parties and street parties, including a gathering in downtown Budapest. Fireworks and firecrackers are popular. Champagne, wine and traditional Hungarian New Year dishes—frankfurter sausages with horseradish, lentil soup, fish, and roast pig—are consumed.[28] In past centuries, some Hungarians believed that animals were able to speak on New Year's Eve, and that onion skins sprinkled with salt could indicate a rainy month.
Hungarian Christian communities focus on celebrating Mass on both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.[29][30]
Fireworks are very popular in Iceland, particularly on New Year's Eve. Bonfires are also very common, often accompanied by shows, musical events and food tables.
Iceland's biggest New Year's Eve events are usually in and around the capital, Reykjavík. Most Icelanders listen to the evening radio broadcast of the mass at Reykjavik's cathedral[citation needed]. This is followed by dinner. Nightclubs in the city are very crowded and tend to stay open until at least 5 am.
Áramótaskaupið ("The New Year's comedy") is an annual Icelandic television comedy special, that is an important part of the New Year for most. It focuses satirically on the past year, and shows little mercy for its victims, especially politicians, artists, prominent business people and activists. Neighbours then meet at their nearest large bonfire, while watching the midnight fireworks.[31]
New Year's Eve (Oíche Chinn Bliana, Oíche na Coda Móire, or Oíche Chaille) celebrations in major cities are modest, with most people favouring small parties in the home for family and friends. Pubs and clubs across the country hold events on New Year's Eve, particularly in larger cities such as Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Derry.
In Italy, New Year's Eve (Vigilia di Capodanno or Notte di San Silvestro) is celebrated by the observation of traditional rituals, such as wearing red underwear and disposing of old or unused items by dropping them from the window.
Dinner is traditionally eaten with parents and friends. It often includes zampone or cotechino (a meal made with pig's trotters or entrails), and lentils. At 8:30 pm, the President reads a television message of greetings to Italians.
At midnight, fireworks are displayed across Italy. A lentil stew is eaten when bell tolls midnight, one spoonful per bell. This is supposed to bring good fortune; the round lentils represent coins.
New Year's Eve is celebrated across Macedonia. New Year's Day is celebrated by day-long fireworks shows. The day is celebrated together with family or friends at home or in restaurants, clubs, cafés and hotels. During the day-time celebration children get gifts. Evening celebrations include food, music, and dancing to both traditional Macedonian folk music, and modern music. New Year's Eve is celebrated on December 31 and also on January 14 according to the Macedonian Orthodox (Julian) Calendar.
Malta organized its first New Year's street party in 2009 in Floriana. The event was not highly advertised and proved controversial, due to the closing of an arterial street for the day. In 2010 there were the first national celebrations in St. George's Square, Valletta[32] Although amateur fireworks are very popular in Malta, they are almost totally absent on New Year's Eve.
In Montenegro, New Year's Eve celebrations are held in all large cities, usually accompanied by fireworks. It is usually celebrated with family or friends, at home or outside. Restaurants, clubs, cafés and hotels organize celebrations with food and music.
New Year's Eve (Oud en Nieuw or Oudejaarsavond) in the Netherlands is usually celebrated as a cosy evening with family or friends. Traditional snack foods are oliebollen (oil dumplings) and appelflappen (apple turnovers) or appelbeignets (apple slice fritters).[33] On television, the main feature is the oudejaarsconference, a performance by one of the major Dutch cabaretiers (comparable to stand-up comedy, but more serious, generally including a satirical review of the year's politics). Historically, in Reformed Protestant families, Psalm 90 is read, although this tradition is now fading away.[34] At midnight, Glühwein (bishops wine) or Champagne is drunk. Many people light their own fireworks. Towns do not organise a central fireworks display, except for Rotterdam where the national fireworks display can be seen near the Erasmus Bridge. Public transport shuts down completely (the only scheduled time during the year) between approximately 8pm and 1am. On television a clock is broadcast several minutes before midnight.
in Poland New Year's Eve (Sylwester) celebrations include both indoor and outdoor festivities. A large open-air concert is held in the Main Square in Krakow. 150,000 to 200,000 revelers celebrate the New Year with live music and a fireworks display over St. Mary's Basilica.[35] Similar festivities are held in other cities around Poland.
For those who do not wish to spend the New Year in the city, the mountains are a popular destination. Zakopane, located in the Carpathian Mountains, is the most popular Polish mountain resort in winter.
Traditional celebrations of New Year's Eve (Revelion) are the norm in Romania. Romanians follow centuries-old customs, rituals, and conventions. Children sing "Pluguşorul" and "Sorcova", traditional carols that wish goodwill, happiness and success.
Parties are common in the evening. Since the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Romanians have gathered in the University Square in Bucharest. Other significant parties occur in Piaţa Constituţiei and Romexpo where Sectorul 5 mayor Marian Vanghelie organizes Vanghelion, a party for thousands of people featuring traditional and tropical food, musical icons such as Enrique Iglesias or Toni Braxton, many other Romanian music stars, and a fireworks show.
Most Russians celebrate New Year's Eve with their families and close friends. The origin of this holiday in Russia derives from Christmas. Christmas was also a major holiday in Russia until it was banned, with all other religious holidays, by the Communist Party. To compensate for the absence of Christmas, New Year's was celebrated as much as Christmas was, but without the religious aspect of the holiday. Even after the fall of the Soviet Union, New Year's is celebrated in Russia and has became a Russian tradition. There is an old superstition that if the first visitor (especially an unexpected one) on January 1 is a man, the year will be good. People also try to start the new year without debts.
Celebration usually starts one or two hours before midnight. A common tradition is to "say farewell to the old year" by remembering the most important events of the last twelve months. At five minutes to twelve most people watch the president's speech on TV[36] or watch popular New Year TV shows. There is a tradition to listen to the Kremlin clock bell ringing twelve times on the radio or on TV. During these last twelve seconds of the year people keep silence and make their secret wishes for the next year. After the clock strikes, they drink champagne and have rich dinner, watching TV concerts and having fun. Some people light fireworks outside and visit their friends and neighbors. As December 30 and 31 are working days, a lot of people also have small parties at work, though December 31 is mostly spent at home or with friends.
In Scotland, New Year's (Hogmanay) is celebrated with several different customs, such as First-Footing, which involves friends or family members going to each others houses with a gift of whisky and sometimes a lump of coal.
Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, hosts one of the world's most famous New Year celebrations. The celebration is focused on a major street party along Princes Street. The cannon is fired at Edinburgh Castle at the stroke of midnight, followed by a large fireworks display. Edinburgh hosts a festival of four or five days, beginning on 28 December, and lasting until New Year's Day or January 2, which is also a bank holiday in Scotland. Other cities across Scotland, such as Aberdeen, Glasgow and Stirling have large organised celebrations too, including fireworks at midnight.
BBC Scotland broadcast the celebrations in Edinburgh to a Scottish audience, with the celebrations also screened across the world. STV covers both worldwide New Year celebrations, and details of events happening around Scotland.
New Year's Eve in Serbia is traditionally celebrated extensively. Indoors, families celebrate New Year's Eve with an abundance of food. 'Serbs decorate trees, 'Novogodišnja jelka, at New Year's, rather than at Christmas. Near, or after midnight, Santa Claus (Deda Mraz) visits houses and leaves presents under the tree, to be unpacked then or, if the family is asleep, to be discovered in the morning.
Restaurants, clubs, cafes and hotels are usually fully booked and organize New Year's celebrations with food and live music.
Serbian New Year's celebrations are most known for the outdoors festivities in Belgrade, and several other major cities such as Novi Sad and Niš. As of mid-December, cities are extensively decorated and lit. The decorations remain until way into January due to the influence of the Julian calendar. Throughout the region, especially amongst former Yugoslav republics, Belgrade is the most popular destination for major parties. It has become common for large groups of Slovenes to visit their former capital and celebrate the beginning of a new year. Street celebrations grow into mass gatherings with hundreds of thousands of people celebrating New Year's in one of several locations throughout Belgrade. During former President Milošević's term, the gatherings had a strong political connotation as well. Since 2000, the City of Belgrade has annually organized several concerts with major national and international performers on Belgrade's major squares: the Republic Square, Terazije Square and in front of the Serbian Parliament building. The concerts commence early in the evening and last well into the morning. Usually, there are separate celebrations and concerts organized for small children ( in Slavija Square) and for elderly (in Kalemegdan park). Midnight is marked by major fireworks fired from buildings within the city.
On January 1, the central Svetogorska street is closed to vehicle traffic and is used to hold the "street of open heart" festival. Food and warm drinks are served and open air theater plays are performed, while families with children as well as politicians (often including the President) walk down the street. The evening of the first of January is reserved for the repriza, a repeat of the previous night; people often go to clubs, friends houses, or squares where they were the previous night, to celebrate once more. Slightly down-scaled festivities are organized.
On January 13, a large part of the population[citation needed] celebrates "Serbian New Year", according to the Julian calendar. Usually one concert is organized in front of either City Hall or the National Parliament in Belgrade, while fireworks are prepared by the Serbian Orthodox Church and fired from the Cathedral of Saint Sava, where people also gather. Other cities also organize such celebrations.
Spanish New Year's Eve (Nochevieja or Fin de Año) celebrations usually begin with a family dinner, traditionally including a Spanish Omelette, shrimp or prawns, and lamb or capon. Spanish tradition says that wearing new, red underwear on New Year's Eve brings good luck. The actual countdown is primarily followed from the clock on top of the Casa de Correos building in Puerta del Sol Square in Madrid. It is traditional to eat twelve grapes, one on each chime of the clock. This tradition has its origins in 1909, when grape growers in Alicante thought of it as a way to cut down on the large production surplus they had had that year. Nowadays, the tradition is followed by almost every Spaniard, and the twelve grapes have become synonymous with the New Year. After the clock has finished striking twelve, people greet each other and toast with sparkling wine such as cava or champagne, or with cider.
After the family dinner and the grapes, many young people attend cotillones de nochevieja parties (named for the Spanish word cotillón, which refers to party supplies like confetti, party blowers, and party hats) at pubs, clubs, and similar places. Parties usually last until the next morning and range from small, personal celebrations at local bars to huge parties with guests numbering the thousands at hotel convention rooms. Early the next morning, party attendees usually gather to have the traditional winter breakfast of, hot chocolate and fried pastry (chocolate con churros).
In Switzerland, New Year's Eve is typically celebrated at a residence with friends. There are no particular main dishes associated with the event, although sweets and desserts are usual. Each commune has its own government-arranged countdown in a public space, accompanied with formal fireworks shows in smaller cities.
In Sweden, New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with families or with friends. A few hours before and after midnight, people usually party and eat a special dinner, often three courses. New Year's Eve is celebrated with large fireworks displays throughout the country, especially in the cities. People over the age of 18 are allowed to buy fireworks, which are sold by local stores or by private persons. While watching or lighting fireworks at midnight, people usually drink champagne.
In the countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union, New Year's has the same cultural significance as Christmas has in the United States, but without the religious connotations. Ukrainian families traditionally install spruce trees at home, the equivalent of a Christmas tree. Families gather to eat a large feast and reflect on the past year. They have a large celebration, make toasts, and make wishes for a happy New Year. Families give presents to their friends as well as informal acquaintances. As Ukrainians are traditionally a closely knit community, it is seen as a taboo to not give presents to those the family associates with. Children stay up until midnight, waiting for the New Year. During these celebrations many Ukrainians tune to special New Year shows, which have become a long-standing tradition for the Ukrainian TV.
New Year is often considered a "pre-celebration" for Greek Catholics and Eastern Orthodox living in Eastern Europe, primarily in Ukraine, since Christmas is celebrated on January 7.
- See England, Scotland and Wales.
Numerous decorations and customs traditionally associated with Christmas and Bayrams are part of secular New Year's Eve celebrations in Turkey. Homes and streets are lit in glittering lights. Small gifts are exchanged, and large family dinners are organized with family and friends, featuring a special Zante currant-pimento-dill iç pilav dish, dolma, hot börek, baklava, and various other eggplant dishes, topped with warm pide, salep, and boza.
Television and radio channels are known to continuously broadcast a variety of special New Year's Eve programs, while municipalities all around the country organize fundraising events for the poor, in addition to celebratory public shows such as concerts and family-friendly events, as well as more traditional forms of entertainment such as the Karagöz and Hacivat shadow-theater, and even performances by the Mehter—the Janissary Band that was founded during the days of the Ottoman Empire.
Public and private parties with large public attendances are organised in a number of cities and towns, particularly in the largest metropolitan areas such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana and Antalya, with the biggest celebrations taking place in Istanbul's Taksim, Beyoğlu, Nişantaşı and Kadıköy districts and Ankara's Kızılay Square, which generally feature dancing, concerts, laser and lightshows as well as the traditional countdown and fireworks display.
The Welsh tradition of giving gifts and money on New Year's Day (Calennig) is an ancient custom that survives in modern-day Wales, though nowadays it is now customary to give bread and cheese.[37]
Thousands of people descend every year on Cardiff to enjoy live music, catering, ice-skating, funfairs and fireworks. Many of the celebrations take place at Cardiff Castle and Cardiff City Hall.
Every New Year's Eve, the Nos Galan road race (Rasys Nos Galan), a 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) running race, is held in Mountain Ash in the Cynon Valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. The race celebrates the life and achievements of Welsh runner Guto Nyth Brân. Founded in 1958 by local runner Bernard Baldwin, it is run over the 5 kilometre route of Guto's first competitive race. The main race starts with a church service at Llanwynno, and then a wreath is laid on Guto's grave in Llanwynno graveyard. After lighting a torch, it is carried to the nearby town of Mountain Ash, where the main race takes place.
The race consists of a double circuit of the town centre, starting in Henry Street and ending in Oxford Street, by the commemorative statue of Guto. Traditionally, the race was timed to end at midnight, but in recent times it was rescheduled for the convenience of family entertainment, now concluding at around 9pm. This has resulted in a growth in size and scale, and the proceedings now start with an afternoon of street entertainment, and fun run races for children, concluding with the church service, elite runners' race and presentations.
Traditional celebrations in Argentina include a family dinner of traditional dishes, including vitel tonné, asado, turron and pan dulce.[38] Just before midnight, people flock to the streets to enjoy fireworks and light firecrackers. The first day of the New Year is celebrated at midnight with cider or champagne. People wish each other a happy New Year, and sometimes share a toast with neighbours. Parties often continue until dawn. Argentines also celebrate New Year's by swimming in rivers and lakes or public pools.
The New Year (Portuguese: Ano Novo, Brazilian-Portuguese: Réveillon), is one of Brazil's main holidays. It officially marks the beginning of the summer holidays, which last until Carnival. Brazilians traditionally have a copious meal with family or friends at home, in restaurants or private clubs, and consume alcoholic beverages. champagne is traditionally drunk. Those spending New Year's Eve at the beach usually dress in white, to bring good luck into the new year. Fireworks and eating grapes or lentils are customs associated with the holiday. The beach at Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro has a large fireworks display.
The city of São Paulo hosts the Saint Silvester Marathon Corrida de São Silvestre, which traverses streets between Paulista Avenue and the downtown area.[39]
In other regions, different events also take place. At Fortaleza, Ceará, there is a party in the Praia de Iracema area. The party attracts more than one million people. It features fireworks and live music shows.[40][41][42]
Over one million visitors crowd the streets and beaches of
Valparaiso each New Year's Eve.
New Year's Eve celebrations in Chile include a family dinner with special dishes, usually including lentils, and twelve grapes to symbolise each month of the year. Family celebrations usually last until midnight, then some continue partying with friends until dawn. In Chile's capital Santiago, thousands of people gather at the Entel Tower to watch the countdown to midnight and a fireworks display.[43]
There are several fireworks shows across the conntry. Over one million viewers attend the most popular, the "Año Nuevo en el Mar", in Valparaiso.[44] Since 2000, the sale of fireworks to individuals has been illegal,[45] meaning fireworks can now only be observed at major displays.
Many people also travel to Easter Island, off Chile's coast, to welcome the New Year.
In Costa Rica, families usually gather around 9 pm for parties that last until 1 or 2 am, the next day. There are several traditions among Costa Rican families, including eating 12 grapes representing 12 wishes for the new year, and running across the street with luggage to bring new trips and adventures in the upcoming year.
In El Salvador, New Year's Eve is spent with families. Family parties start around 5:00 pm, and last until 1:00 to 3:00 am, the following day. Families eat dinner together and traditional New Year's Eve songs, such as "Cinco para las Doce", are played. After the dinner, individuals light fireworks and continue partying outside. A radio station broadcasts a countdown to midnight. When the clock strikes midnight, fireworks are lit across the country. People start exchanging hugs and wishes for the new year.
A New Year's Eve tradition in Ecuador is for men to dress as women representing the "widow" of the year that has passed. There are traditional family events and meals and modern celebrations such as hosting parties and going to nightclubs. The main event takes place at midnight where fireworks are lit and thousands of life-size dummies, representing misfortunes of the past year, are burned in the streets.[46][47]
In Guatemala, banks close on New Year’s Eve, and businesses close at noon.[48] In the town of Antigua, people usually gather at the Santa Catalina Clock Arch to celebrate New Year's Eve Spanish: Fin del Año. In Guatemala City the celebrations are centered around Plaza Mayor. Firecrackers are lit starting at sundown, continuing without interruption into the night. Guatemalans wear new clothes for good fortune and eat a grape with each of the twelve chimes of the bell during the New Year countdown, while making a wish with each one.
The celebrations include religious themes which may be either Mayan or Catholic.[49] Catholic celebrations are similar to those at Christmas.[50] Gifts are left under the tree on Christmas morning by the Christ Child for the children, but parents and adults do not exchange gifts until New Year's Day.[51]
During New Year's Eve in Suriname (Template:Lang-du), the Surinamese population goes into cities' commercial districts to watch fireworks shows. This is however, a spectacle based on the famous red-firecracker-ribbons. The bigger stores invest in these firecrackers and display them in the streets. Every year the length of them is compared, and high praises are held for the company that has managed to import the largest ribbon. These celebrations start at 10 am and finish the next day. The day is usually filled with laughter, dance, music, and drinking. When the night starts, the big street parties are already at full capacity. The most popular fiesta is the one that is held at café 't Vat in the main tourist district. The parties there stop between 10 and 11 pm. After which the people go home to light their pagaras (red-firecracker-ribbons) at midnight. After midnight, the parties continue and the streets fill again until daybreak.
In Venezuela, many of the traditions are very similar to the ones from Spain, with an over-emphasis in traditions that supposedly will bring good luck in the upcoming year. Those who want to find love in the New Year are supposed to wear red underwear on New Year's Eve; those who want money must have a bill of high value when toasting, those who want to travel must go outside while carrying luggage, and so on. Yellow underwear is worn to bring happiness in the New Year.
Radio specials give a countdown and announce the New Year. In Caracas, the bells of the Cathedral of Caracas ring twelve times. During these special programs, is a tradition to broadcast songs about the sadness of the end of the year. Popular songs include "Viejo año" ("Old year"), by Gaita group Maracaibo 15, and "Cinco pa' las 12" ("Five minutes before twelve"), which was versioned by several popular singers including Nestor Zavarce, Nancy Ramos and José Luis Rodríguez El Puma. The unofficial hymn for the first minutes of the New Year is "Año Nuevo, Vida Nueva" ("New Year, New Life"), by the band Billo's Caracas Boys.
Each major city in Australia holds New Year's Eve celebrations, usually accompanied by a fireworks display and other events. Gloucester Park, a racecourse in central Perth, is the largest and most recognized display in the Western Australian city. In Brisbane and Southbank events are held throughout the cities. At night, 50,000 people gather at sites around the Brisbane River to watch a fireworks display.
The two largest celebrations in Australia are held in its two largest cities; Sydney and Melbourne. Each year, the celebrations in Sydney are accompanied by a theme with two pyrotechnic shows; the 9:00 pm Family Fireworks and the Midnight Fireworks. Centering on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the fireworks are synchronized to a blend of popular music and a lighting display called the "Bridge Effect", which displays various symbols and other images related to the current year's theme, is shown on the bridge itself. The "Midnight Fireworks" are regularly watched by more than one million people at Sydney Harbour. As one of the first major New Year's celebrations globally each year, Sydney's Midnight Fireworks are often broadcast throughout the world during the day of 31 December. They are regularly watched by one billion people.
Kiritimati (UTC+14), part of Kiribati, is the first location in the world to welcome the New Year.
Gisborne, New Zealand—496.3 kilometres (308.4 mi) west of the International Date Line—is the first major city to see the beginning of the new year. In New Zealand, cities celebrate with large street parties and fireworks displays. Local councils usually organise parties and street carnivals and fireworks displays, however, liquor bans have been imposed on many of the more popular areas due to disorder, vandalism and other anti-social behavior. In Auckland, the top of the Sky Tower—the tallest freestanding structure tower in the Southern Hemisphere— is the launch site for a fireworks show.
The New Zealand national cricket team have begun playing a one-day International cricket game in Queenstown during the day of New Year's Eve.
In Ghana, many people celebrate New Year's Eve by going to Church; others go to nightclubs, pubs, or take to the street to celebrate. At midnight, fireworks are displayed across various cities of Ghana, especially in Accra and Tema.
In Morocco, New Year's Eve (Arabic: رأس العام—Rass l'aam—"head of the year") is celebrated in the company of family and friends. People get together to eat cake, dance, and laugh. Traditionally, people celebrate it at home, but some of them prefer to go to nightclubs. At midnight, fireworks are displayed across Ain Diab, in the corniche of Casablanca.
In China, although the celebrations of the Lunar New Year are not until a few weeks after the Gregorian New Year, celebrations of the Gregorian New Year are held in some areas, particularly in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xiamen. Celebrations with fireworks and rock concerts have taken place in Beijing's Solana Blue Harbor Shopping Park.
In Hong Kong, people usually gather in Central, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui, to celebrate and to look at the night lights along the harbor. The Times Square shopping mall also holds their own celebration of the ball drop held at Times Square in New York City. District-wide celebrations also occur in Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin, Mong Kok, and Kwun Tong.
Beginning in 2008, a 60-second numerical countdown to New Year's, consisting of LED lights and pyrotechnic display effects, on the facade of Two International Finance Centre was launched, followed by a firework display and an exhibition of the Symphony of Lights.
In Central Asia, New Year's Eve celebrations were inherited from Soviet traditions; thus they are similar to those of Russia.
In India, most celebrations take place in the major metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Guwahati and since 2009-10, in Chandigarh. In Hyderabad, fireworks, street racings and brawls are very common. Goa is one of the most visited spot during new year celebration both by Indian and foreign tourists. Events such as live concerts and dances by Bollywood stars are organised and attended mostly by youngsters. Large crowds also gather at popular spots along the coastline such as the Gateway of India, Girgaum Chowpatty, Bandra Bandstand, Juhu Beach etc. More often people like to celebrate new year eve with family. Hotels and resorts are all decked up in anticipation of the tourist influx and feverish competition ensures to entice the vacationers with exciting New Year offers. As old tradition at many places across the country several special Yagya and Puja are organized for the wish of fruitful year by Hindu people.[citation needed]
Indonesians celebrate New Year's Eve with revelry in urban areas. Hotels, discos and major restaurants in Indonesia offer special meals, entertainment and dancing.[52] People celebrate with their families, siblings, and friends. Trumpets and fireworks are the most important elements of New Year's Eve for Indonesians. However, the New Year is generally not as big a celebration as Eid ul-Fitr.
New Year's Eve celebrations in Jakarta often include a music show, New Year's countdown, and fireworks party. The events are often held at the Monumen Nasional, waterfront resort of Ancol Dreamland, and the recreational area Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. Bali is another popular destination for New Year's Eve, with many locals and toursits gathering at the beach at Kuta.
New Year's Eve (Silvester) in Israel, is celebrated by parties, social get togethers, concerts, and dining out in major cities such as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
In Japan, New Year's Eve is used to prepare for and welcome toshigami (年神), the New Year's god. People clean their home and prepare Kadomatsu or Shimenawa to welcome the god before New Year's Eve. Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times[27] at midnight in the tradition joya no kane (除夜の鐘) . The rings represent the 108 elements of bonō (煩悩), mental states that lead people to take unwholesome actions.
A popular TV show on New Year's Eve in Japan is Kōhaku Uta Gassen, which airs on NHK. Kōhaku Uta Gassen is a 62-year-old tradition involving a singing contest between male and female teams of celebrity singers. The Japan Record Awards is an award special that has aired on New Year's Eve since its debut in 1959. In this awards special, artists from around the country compete in various categories to win the biggest prize, the Japan Record Award. So far, there are fifty-three specials and the most recent winner is AKB48 with the song "Flying Get".
In Lebanon, people celebrate New Year's Eve with a dinner attended by family and friends. The dinner features traditional dishes such as tabouli, hummus, kibbi, and other Lebanese foods. These celebrations could also take place in restaurants and clubs. Game shows are also organized where people can try to win money. The countdown to New Year's is broadcast through the leading TV channel and the celebrations usually continue until sunrise. Fireworks are lit throughout the night.
Ambang Tahun Baru, a celebration sponsored by the government is held at Merdeka Square, the field opposite the Sultan Abdul Samad Building in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. The event is broadcast live on government as well as private TV stations. In addition, private organizations also hold New Year's countdown parties at major shopping malls and landmarks. One significant privately run celebration is the fireworks display at the Petronas Towers.
New Year's Eve is usually celebrated in Pakistan with joy. In Karachi, people visit the beaches at night and use low intensity fireworks to enjoy the new year.
As Pakistan is an Islamic country, they also celebrate New Year's Eve on the first of Muharram. It is celebrated as a religious occasion with Muslims offering special prayers on this day.
In the Philippines, New Year's Eve (Bisperas ng Bagong Taon) is a non-working holiday. Filipinos usually celebrate New Year's Eve in the company of family and close friends. Traditionally, most households host or attend a Media Noche (dinner party). Typical dishes include pancit and hamon. Lechon (roasted pig), is usually prepared and set as the centerpiece of the dinner table. Barbecued food is also an integral part of the menu.
Most Filipinos follow a set of traditions that are typically observed during New Year's Eve. Included among these traditions is the customary habit of wearing clothes with circular patterns, such as polka dots. This signifies the belief that circles attract money and fortune. Or they may wear other colorful clothing to show enthusiasm for the coming year. Throwing coins at the stroke of midnight is said to increase wealth in the upcoming year. Traditions also include the serving of circular shaped fruits, shaking of coins inside a metal can while walking around the house, and jumping up high, which is believed to cause an increase in physical height. People also make loud noises by blowing on cardboard or plastic horns, called torotot, banging on pots and pans, booming sound system, or by igniting firecrackers and fireworks at the stroke of midnight, in the belief that it scares away malevolent spirits and forces.
Urban areas usually host many New Year's Eve parties and countdown celebrations hosted by the private sector with the help of the local government. These parties usually display their own fireworks and are often very well attended. Some of the main locations that focused on the celebration are the Manila Bay at Roxas Boulevard or Luneta Park in Manila, the intersection of Ayala and Makati Avenues at the Makati Central Business District (CBD) in Makati City, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City, and Eastwood City in Libis, Quezon City.
The biggest New Year's Eve celebration in Singapore takes place in the Marina Bay area. It is attended by 250,000 or more people. The party spans around the bay area starting from the Marina Bay floating Stadium to the Esplanade promenade, the Esplanade Bridge, Benjamin Sheares Bridge, Merlion Park, and the Padang at City Hall facing the Marina Bay. The celebrations are also visible from nearby hotels such as The Fullerton Hotel, Marina Madarin, The Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Marina Bay Sands, offices located at Raffles Place, Marina Bay Financial Centre, Residential Apartments at The Sail @ Marina Bay, and from The Singapore Flyer. On the waterfront of Marina Bay, 20,000 inflatable "wishing spheres" carrying 500,000 wishes written by Singaporeans form a visual arts display filled with brilliant colors beamed from the spotlights erected along the Esplanade promenade open area. Audiences are also entertained by a host of variety shows and concerts staged at the Marina Bay floating platform stage, featuring local and overseas artists. The shows are viewable by all at the bay, and telecast live on the republic's local TV channel.
At ten seconds before midnight, the concert emcees initiate the final countdown together with the audience. At midnight, fireworks are launched from the waters at Marina Bay, lighting up the whole bay against the backdrop of the Singapore skyline.
2008 New Year fireworks at Taipei 101
In the Republic of China, the end of the year is celebrated with concerts held in cities including Taoyuan, Taichung, Taipei, and Kaoshiung. Recently, the nation has used technology to communicate among the cities via video, enabling the cities to count down together. The most crowded city is the capital, Taipei, where most people gather by Taipei 101 and the shopping centers in the Xinyi District. People gather around the streets of Taipei 101 as they count down. With each number they count, one of the layers of Taipei 101 (eight floors per layer) lights up until midnight, when the fireworks shoot out from the top of each layer (eight layers excluding a layer under the antenna) in different directions.
Aside from the traditional Thai New Year called Songkran (which falls on April 13 or April 14), people in Thailand also celebrate the arrival of the Gregorian New Year on January 1 with their families, relatives, and friends. They usually celebrate it by a family dinner and following some different customs. In most cities and urban areas across the country, celebrations of the New Year is accompanied by countdowns, fireworks, and concerts, most notably, the CentralWorld Square at CentralWorld in downtown Bangkok, and the Pattaya Beach in Pattaya, while public places such as hotels, pubs, restaurants and nightclubs, also host New Year's Eve parties by offering food, entertainment and music to everyone, and they usually stay open until the early next morning.
In English-speaking countries, a few popular songs are associated with New Year's Eve and it is common to hear them on the radio these countries on, or shortly before, December 31.
During the festivities for the year 2000, Prince's "1999" was re-released and enjoyed increased popularity due to the song's namesake year. Will Smith also released a song titled "Will 2K", which also proved successful, owing to the lyrics' celebration of millennium parties. Robbie Williams enjoyed a similar success with his 1998 single "Millennium", as did Pulp for their 1995 song "Disco 2000".
Spanish band Mecano's single "Un Año Más" is popular in Spanish-speaking countries; it describes the final minutes of New Year's Eve by people following the Spanish traditions. A version with lyrics in Italian was also released.
- ^ Anna M. Lawrence (5 May 2011). One Family Under God: Love, Belonging, and Authority in Early Transatlantic Methodism. University of Pennsylvania Press. http://books.google.com/books?id=94bTO6O2bDAC&pg=PA104&dq=watchnight+service&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PtL6TpuuNMyAsgKawtmwAQ&ved=0CEgQ6AEwAzge#v=onepage&q=watchnight%20service&f=false. Retrieved 28 December 2011. "In 1740, Wesley started watch-night services for the coal miners of the Kingswood area, offering this noctural worship as a godly alternative to spending their evenings in ale-houses. The watch-night services consisted of singing, praying, exhorting, and preaching for a number of hours. Wesley meant to establish it as a monthly practice, always at full moon to keep the meeting well lit. In America, this service often supplanted times of traditional drunken revelry, like New Year's Eve and Christmas Eve."
- ^ "New Year's Eve in Canada". http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/canada/new-year-eve.
- ^ Bill Harris (December 18, 2010). "'Air Farce' returns once again". Toronto Sun. http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/tv/2010/12/16/16582916.html#/entertainment/tv/2010/12/16/pf-16582916.html. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
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- ^ Producers apologize for offensive skits in Quebec New Year's Eve special on CBC.ca, January 9, 2009.
- ^ Topics-mag.com
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- ^ a b "New Year's Eve in the United States". http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/new-year-eve.
- ^ Butler, Joey (November–December 2006). "Watch Night services provide spiritual way to bring in New Year". The United Methodist Church Interpreter Magazine. http://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=11612. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
- ^ Sutton, Charyn (August 2004). "Watch Night". Western States Black Research & Educational Center. http://www.wsbrec.org/blackfacts/WatchNight.htm. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
- ^ Tartanplace.com
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- ^ DKLM.dk
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- ^ "London Eye fireworks mark new year 2011". BBC News. January 1, 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12093696.
- ^ Batty, David (January 1, 2011). "New Year's Eve in the UK: 'The best fireworks ever'". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/01/uk-welcomes-new-year-fireworks.
- ^ Bideford-tc.gov.uk
- ^ "Bideford". Bideford People. http://www.bidefordpeople.co.uk/groups/christmasandnewyear2009/Bideford-Probably-Best-New-Year-s-Eve/story-10354776-detail/story.html. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ "Eino Leino". http://kirjasto.sci.fi/eleino.htm.
- ^ "New Year's Day in France". http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/france/new-year-day.
- ^ "New Year's Eve in Germany". http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/germany/new-year-eve.
- ^ a b Peake, Mike (December 30, 2006). "Gesundheit to an old favourite". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/12/30/bvdinner30.xml. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
- ^ Budapest New Year
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- ^ Goscandinavia.about.com
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- ^ "New Year's Day in the Netherlands". http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/netherlands/new-year-day.
- ^ Wim Kan displaced Psalm 90 and prayer, Trouw, 31 December 2001 (Dutch)
- ^ Świerczek, Marcin (2008). "Tylko w Onet.tv - sylwester z krakowskiego Rynku na żywo!". Krakow: Onet.tv from Polish Press Agency. http://muzyka.onet.pl/10172,1888447,newsy.html. Retrieved 31 December 2010
- ^ "YTfiles.com". YTfiles.com. 2009-12-30. http://www.ytfiles.com/2009/12/30/top-ten-traditions-no-winter-holiday-season-in-russia-goes-without/. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ Hutton, Ronald (1996). The Stations of The Sun. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p. 67. ISBN 0-19-820570-8.
- ^ "Christmas & New Year’s Eve Food in Argentina". Asado Argentina. 2008-12-15. http://www.asadoargentina.com/christmas-new-years-eve-food-in-argentina/. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ "Paulista Avenue on New Year’s Eve: A Race and a Party". Gobrazil.about.com. 2008-12-31. http://gobrazil.about.com/b/2008/12/31/paulista-avenue-on-new-years-eve-a-race-and-a-party.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ "Prefeita anuncia atrações para o Réveillon 2010" (in Portuguese). Prefeitura Municipal de Fortaleza. 2009-12-01. http://www.fortaleza.ce.gov.br/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12288&Itemid=12. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ "Réveillon de Fortaleza: mais de um milhão de pessoas compareceram à festa" (in Portuguese). Jangadeiro Online. 2010-01-01. http://jangadeiroonline.com.br/fortaleza/reveillon-de-fortaleza-mais-de-um-milhao-de-pessoas-compareceram-a-festa-49819/. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ "New Years Eve in Brazil". Hostels Club. http://www.hostelsclub.com/article-en-1911.html. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ Cachandochile.wordpress.com
- ^ "Un millón de personas disfrutó del "Año Nuevo en el Mar" en Valparaíso". http://www.cooperativa.cl/un-millon-de-personas-disfruto-del-ano-nuevo-en-el-mar-en-valparaiso/prontus_nots/2011-01-01/084745.html.
- ^ "Ley 19680: Prohíbe el uso de fuegos artificiales, mediante reforma de la Ley Nº 17.798, sobre control de armas y explosivos, y prohíbe la venta al público de fuegos artificiales y regula la realización de espectáculos pirotécnicos masivos". http://www.leychile.cl/Navegar?idNorma=169320.
- ^ English-zone.com
- ^ Bootsnail.com
- ^ "Guatemala: Society and Culture / Holidays and Festivals". Atozworldtravel.com. http://www.atozworldtravel.com/worldtravel2_country.asp?nid=20.17&next_nid=20.18&cid=58&parent=Society%20and%20Culture#NewYearsDay. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ "Guatemala Holidays". Destination360.com. http://www.destination360.com/central-america/guatemala/events. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ "New Year’s Celebration in Antigua". AntiguaDailyPhoto.Com. 2007-01-01. http://antiguadailyphoto.com/2007/01/01/new-years-celebration-in-antigua. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ "Christmas traditions in spain and latin america". Ompersonal.com.ar. http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/omchristmas2/christmas.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ Expat.or.id
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![[11] Mambo! • New Year's Eve Concert 2007 from Caracas](http://web.archive.org./web/20121214130909im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/NEs8yqhavtI/default.jpg "[11] Mambo! • New Year's Eve Concert 2007 from Caracas")
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