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NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS AROUND THE WORLD

On the 31^st December all the people celebrate the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. On the First day of New Year people over the world celebrate the new calendar year. In many cultures, the event is celebrated in different ways.^[1] The New Year of the Gregorian calendar, today in worldwide use, falls on 1 January (New Year's Day), as was the case with the Roman calendar. 

Let’s travel to different countries and experience some of their customs:                                                                                                                      

British New Year

In Britain the custom of first footing is practised. The first male visitor to the house after midnight is usually supposed to bring good luck. Usually they bring a gift like money, bread, or coal, which is done to ensure the family will have plenty of these things all the year to come. The first person must not be blond, red-haired or women as these people are supposedly to bring bad luck!

Greek New Year

January 1st is an important date in Greece because it is not only the first day of the New Year but it is also St. Basil's Day. St Basil was one of the forefathers of the Greek Orthodox Church. He is remembered for his kindness and generosity to the poor. He is thought to have died on this date so this is how they honor him!

New Year is the main day for gift-giving and for stories of St Basil's kindness to children and the stories of how he would come in the night and leave gifts for the children   under the tree!

Spanish New Year

When the clock strikes midnight they eat 12 grapes one with every toll to bring good luck for the next 12 months of the New Year. Sometimes the grapes are washed down with wine. Theater productions and movies are interrupted to carry out this custom.

Indian  New Year

The Indian New Year festival is called Diwali and is a festival of lights. The festival is celebrated differently in the various districts of India.The Hindus of the north celebrate Diwali to show the end of the old year and the start of the new. For three days in late October early November every town and village shines and glows with thousands of lights. Their homes are decorated with little oil lamps known as diwa. These little lights are found in temples, houses, along window ledges and along garden paths. In cities electrical lights are used to light up buildings. These are used to drive out evil. Also this way evil  is  replaced with goodness.

Chinese New Year

 All countries celebrate the New Year’s Day every first of January…  This is an important annual event for thousand of people all over the world. Also, the most interesting of the celebration is the different way that people celebrate it in each country. So let’s discover which way every country has chosen, specifically the manners and customs of each country!!! Chinese New Year is the most important traditional Chinese holiday, celebrated on the first fifteen days of the year of the Chinese calendar. The source of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Traditionally, the festival was a time to honor deities as well as ancestors. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Philippines, and also in Chinatowns elsewhere.

                       The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and earth, officially begin at midnight. It is a traditional practice to light fireworks, burn bamboo sticks and firecrackers and to make as much of a din as possible to chase off the evil spirits. Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time to honor one's elders and families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended families, usually their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. 

China is a country with a big history that results from the old centuries. According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One day people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. Time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjun Laozu's mount.

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