Worldwide New Year Celebrations
Have you ever wondered how New Year is celebrated in other parts of the world? Here we take a look at the customs of Russia, Scotland, and China to see how they will ring in 2009.
New Year is a holiday that is celebrated by cultures all over the world commemorating the ending of the old year and bringing in the new. It is a chance for renewal and fresh start and different cultures have different ways of celebrating it. Each culture lends their own unique and exotic touch to the holiday and not all of them celebrate for only one day.
New Year In China
China is one of the few countries that celebrate their New Year at a different time year than most of the global nations. Chinese New Year actually starts in the middle of the last month of the year – which for the Chinese is January or February – and lasts just a little over a month, ending with the first month of the New Year – February or March. The last days of the New Year’s celebration are called the Lantern Festival.
2009 brings in the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac calendar. During the New Year’s celebrations, people with pray to the gods and their ancestors, will take of their dogs on the second day, visit and pay respects to families or stay home as tradition insists, visit the temples, go to market, and simply be thankful for everything they have been given. The will prepare for the New Year’s festivities by cleaning their homes, repaying loans, getting their hair cut, buying new clothing, and decorating their homes in red decorations that bring them peace and luck.
Hogmanay Or New Year In Scotland
In Scotland Hogmanay – or New Year’s Eve – is celebrated on December 31st and spills over to January 1st. It is the largest official holiday in the country, larger even than Christmas as there was a period of time in Scottish history when the celebrating of Christmas was considered a crime. Known as ‘night of the candle’, many of the celebrations date back to the pagan rituals that celebrated the winter solstice and were inherited from Vikings invaders who celebrated Yule at the same time.
During the celebrations, people will clean their homes and their yards in an effort to bring about good health and prosperity. They will carry burning juniper through their homes to ward off any evil spirits and they will pay off all of their loans or debts before the New Year is rung in. It is customary to blend music, drinking, and dancing together on New Years day and some of the food that can be found being served include but is not limited to: wine; cordials; cheese; bread; currant loaf; cones; and oatcakes.
New Year In Russia
Once upon a time, New Year was celebrated in September in Russia Czar Peter actually banned that practice. Today, the Russians celebrate New Year on January 1 and it is considered a family holiday by the people of the country. Instead of putting up a Christmas tree, the Russians put up a New Year’s tree, called ‘Novogodnaya Yolka’. A star is place at the top of the tree and it is decorated with sweets of all types for everyone to enjoy. ‘Ded Moroz’ or Father Frost and his granddaughter visit all of the little children in Russia and leave them gifts under their tree – a Russian Santa Claus if you will.
Because this is a very family holiday in Russia, families get together to enjoy a dinner of meat, green peas, pickles, mayonnaise, onion, carrots, and potatoes, they enjoy light music and champagne with some traditional dancing, and many families will have their fortunes read in order to know what the next year holds.
I want to find good pop music. Help me please.
June 9th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I knew Christmas was sometimes celebrated at different times, but was not aware of different times for New Years Day. I also think it is interesting that certain kings and rulers have outlawed certain holidays like Russia Czar Peter did.
August 19th, 2009 at 7:02 pm