Many of us in the United States celebrate ushering out the old year and welcoming, even in uncertain times, the prospects that a new year might hold. Of course how you celebrate the arrival of a new year depends upon experiences, culture and where you are located on the holiday. For many in this country a major focus on December 31st is watching, usually with a glass of champagne in hand, the ball drop in New York City’s Times Square either in person, from someone else’s party or from the comfort of one’s bed as it is now widely featured on television.
The New York “ball drop” began in 1907 when the ball, covered with lights, weighed 700 lbs. and the tradition continues today with one that is composed of Waterford crystal panels and LED lights that weighs 12,000 lbs. The end of the countdown to Midnight as the ball reaches ground level is usually followed by a good luck kiss with someone special and singing “Auld Lange Syne.” And with the arrival of the New Year the spectators are treated to a spectacular fireworks display.
Many of the folks in New York City may think all this celebrating began with them, however, according to History.com that honor goes to the Babylonians. In about 4,000 B.C., at the first new moon, Babylon began the tradition of an 11 day festival known as Akitu to honor Marduk, the sky god and his mythical defeat of Tiamat, the sea goddess. During the festival they would either allow the old king to remain or if his rule was unfavorable they could crown a new king. Think about that – not just one evening followed by one day to party but a whole 11 days!
Back to the United States – on New Year’s Day, if they hadn’t already done so on the prior evening, people will visit with family to enjoy a meal and perhaps to get sympathy for one’s hangover from an overabundance of champagne or other preferred alcoholic beverage the night before. Frequently this is the day one decides they must make positive changes to their lives and will resolve to do things like lose weight, exercise more, spend more time with family, and so on, which are resolutions that may last a month but are usually abandoned within the first two weeks. And let us not forget that in many states one, for good luck and prosperity in the coming year, will eat a bowl of black-eyed peas (representing money), especially in the southern states. With the United States being a “melting pot” of cultures, special foods eaten for luck in the next year might also include tamales, pretzels, pickled herring, grapes, soba noodles and pork and sauerkraut.
After a brief look at the United States traditions it might make one wonder how the rest of the world celebrates the New Year. In Europe it seems that the color red symbolizes passion, love and/or fertility so that wearing red underwear on New Year’s Day seems to be the thing to do in several of the countries, that is if one wants to gain and maintain a loving relationship. In Spain as in many other countries around the world, grapes are very important to have for that day as one is to take 12 grapes and as soon as the clock strikes midnight they must speed eat one grape as the clock strikes each of the 12 seconds thereafter to have good luck and fortune during the next dozen months. This tradition is thought to have originated in the 1800s when a group of vintners started the practice, so they could sell more grapes – it caught on!. Also in Spain the New Year midnight toast is done with their sparkling wine (Cava) but only after they have placed a gold item in it, usually a ring, before drinking all of the wine. Cheers!
In Ireland, as in many, many other countries, thoroughly cleaning one’s house just before New Year’s Eve signifies that one is ready for a fresh start in the coming year and it is also still a custom to bang the doors and walls of the house with Christmas bread to chase away all evil spirits and make room for the good spirits to enter. On New Year’s Day an Irish family will gather for dinner, setting a place at the table for a dead member and leaving the front door open so their spirit may freely enter. The Irish also believe that if the wind on New Year’s Day is coming from the West it is a good sign for a prosperous Ireland but if coming from the East, not so much!
Rather than following the Gregorian calendar but rather complying with the Lunar calendar, the Vietnamese New Year (Tet or Tet Nguyen Dan) will begin this coming year on February 10th and is usually celebrated for three days but at times may extend to as long as a week. During this time the homes are decorated in red and yellow colors and the bamboo trees sport red paper streamers. Many Vietnamese will have peach blossom trees present in the home to help remove evil spirits and may also have a Kumquat tree to represent the family’s generations. Vietnamese also have their food traditions, one of which is to eat at least one of the flat round rice cakes, known as Banh Day or Ban Chung, on Tet and the meal might include pig feet, mung bean pudding, stir-fried almonds and papaya salad. Other activities occurring at this time include exchanging gifts to show gratitude to those dear to them, giving money in red envelopes to children, wearing bright colors as an attraction for good luck and visiting the graves of loved ones.
Some of the more unique customs practiced for the New Year include the Danish who mark the New Year by smashing dishes against their family’s or friend’s doors so that when they awake in the morning they will know from the number of broken pieces how much they are loved and respected (the more shards, the more they are loved). Also in Denmark, as in several other countries, the folks will jump off a chair to symbolize their willingness to leap into the New Year. In Ecuador the people create paper filled effigies of folks they don’t like and when midnight arrives they set the effigy on fire to rid themselves of the bad from the old year to make way for the good that is to come. In Estonia it is believed that eating seven times during New Year’s Day will assure there will be an abundance of food for the table throughout the upcoming year. And in Greece the people hang onions on their doors and tend to them so they will continue their growth ae they are a symbol of rebirth and continued development.
A perfect example of the saying “out with the old” is played out in Johannesburg, South Africa on New Year’s Day as the people there throw old furniture and appliances out their windows, a dangerous activity which been made worse because residents of high-rise apartment complexes have joined in the tradition. “Watch out below – coming down!” In a milder tradition in Talca, Chile thousands celebrate the New Year in the local cemetery where they will be surrounded by their long gone loved ones and may even spend the night there. And while people elsewhere are dressing up in their finery for the many celebrations it is tradition in Brazil to wear just your underwear, the color of which is specific to determine one’s luck area, as in: yellow for finances, pink for love and green for health. Brr!
And finally, one of the more unique and truly entertaining celebrations occurs each year in Sidney, Australia where, since they are in the Southern hemisphere, the New Year can be enjoyed during the summer. The festivities take place along a shore where the Sidney Opera House serves as a beautiful background and activities begin with a small firework display, usually at 9 pm that is designed to please those youngsters who will have to be in bed soon. Since Australia is one of the first to see in the New Year they begin their later festivities with one of the largest fireworks displays in the world to amaze the more than one million in attendance, a display that is launched from seven barges filled with the fireworks which create a display that lasts for 12 minutes. Now, if funds were no object and you had the opportunity to pick the place, where would you like to see the “old” out and welcome the “new” in the next New Year?
