{"id":4624,"date":"2017-12-25T14:43:12","date_gmt":"2017-12-25T14:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=4624"},"modified":"2017-12-25T14:45:16","modified_gmt":"2017-12-25T14:45:16","slug":"new-years-eve-celebrations-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/new-years-eve-celebrations-around-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"New Year’s Eve Celebrations Around the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Year\u2019s is just around the corner, putting an end to turkey and chocolate feast and probably putting an end to that glorious time off work. Yes, soon you will have to put on real clothes, not pyjama onesies and venture back out into the world. But before you do, there\u2019s one last party to be held: New Year\u2019s Eve!\u00a0 Although New Year's traditions vary all over the world, a few consistent elements are usually alcohol and kissing, and usually in that order. Let\u2019s take a look at some of the ways New Year\u2019s is celebrated all over the world.<\/p>\n

Scotland<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Photo via Flickr<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

In Scotland Hogmanay<\/i> is celebrated by the locals and indeed all in attendance. The origins of the word Hogmanay<\/i> are not entirely known, but it may come from the Norman French word hoguinan\u00e9<\/i>, which in turn comes from the Old French word aguillanneuf<\/i> meaning \u2018last day of the year\u2019 or \u2018new year\u2019s gift\u2019. The origins are viking in tradition, and date back to pagan celebrations of the Winter Solstice (or the Gaelic Samhain), and the celebrations have always been a big deal in Scotland.<\/p>\n

To ring in the new year, Scots go \u2018first footing\u2019, a practice where groups lead by a dark haired male bearing food, fuel and drink (usually shortbread, whisky, without the 'e', and a piece of coal) go from house to house, wishing a happy new year to the inhabitants and bringing luck upon the household. After a few drinks, it\u2019s on to the next house, to bring more luck! Of course, no New Year\u2019s celebration in Scotland would be complete without singing Robbie Burn\u2019s Auld Lang Syne<\/a>, a song about friendship and the general passage of time.<\/p>\n

Romania<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Romania, New Year\u2019s Eve celebrations start first thing in the morning with children going door to door with bells performing Plugusorul<\/i> which means \u2018the little plow.\u2019 They sing old traditional songs, mainly about bringing luck and good tiding upon the household for the new year. The grownups will do the same that night, though they\u2019ll wear costumes and traditional clothing. After the adult Plugul<\/i> (large plow), mask dances are held in public squares and gathering points, the most famous is the dance of the bear.<\/p>\n

The bear represents death and rebirth in traditional Romanian mythology, so performers will dress in bear suits and dance to drum music to help bring in the new year.<\/p>\n

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Photo via Flickr<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Brazil<\/strong><\/p>\n

Partying in Rio de Janeiro for New Year\u2019s Eve or reveillon should be added to your bucket list and for good reason. Copacabana beach is one of the biggest party spots in the world for New Year\u2019s and you\u2019re sure to have a pretty amazing partying the night away there!<\/p>\n

Make sure you choose your outfit correctly though. For the most part, you want white on white on white. Wearing white for New Year\u2019s is believed to scare away evil spirits and bring you luck for incoming year. Now, it\u2019s totally acceptable to throw some colour into the mix, but only for your underwear\/bathing suit. When it comes to your undies, the colour you choose brings in a different kind of luck: White is for peace, green means good health, yellow is all about money, red helps attract passion and romance, and purple brings creativity and inspiration. Chose those boxer shorts wisely folks!<\/p>\n

Lastly, bring some flowers to your beach party when in Brazil. Lemanja is the goddess of water and she loves receiving gifts of flowers on New Year\u2019s Eve. It\u2019s traditional to throw some into the water for her so she\u2019ll bring you good luck- if the flowers come back, then that means she didn\u2019t accept your gift and you\u2019ve got to try again next year!<\/p>\n

Denmark<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hang on to your crockery for New Year\u2019s in Denmark, as one tradition is to throw old plates and dishes at your friends\u2019 door on New Year\u2019s Eve. Supposedly the more broken dishware, the more popular the people in the house! It\u2019d be a great way to get rid of any mismatching plates and bowls, or really just a great way to relieve stress after being trapped with your family over the Christmas holidays.<\/p>\n

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Photo via Flickr<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Spain<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gather up some grapes for New Year\u2019s Eve in Spain. The superstition states that you must eat 12 grapes as fast as possible- the juicier the better. Each grape represents a month of the year, and you\u2019re supposed to eat them within the first 12 seconds of the new year. If you finish all the grapes ( and they were hopefully super juicy), then you\u2019re in for a year of good luck and happiness!<\/p>\n

Wherever you are, and whoever you\u2019re with, the folks here at Listen and Learn hope you have a safe and fun New Year\u2019s Eve. If you\u2019re making resolutions, it\u2019s a great time to have a look at some of the language courses we\u2019re offering near you<\/a>- start your year learning a new language, or improving an old one. Now let\u2019s hear from you! What are your New Year\u2019s Eve traditions?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Year\u2019s is just around the corner, putting an end to turkey and chocolate feast and probably putting an end to that glorious time off work. Yes, soon you will have to put on real clothes, not pyjama onesies and venture back out into the world. But before you do, there\u2019s one last party to(\u2026)<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t \t\t\t\tCONTINUE READING »<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":4626,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,27,1,28],"tags":[768,292,770,314,586,276,769,275,732,96,195,422],"class_list":["post-4624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fun-games","category-humour-offbeat","category-uncategorized","category-culture-travel","tag-768","tag-brazil","tag-celebration","tag-denmark","tag-holidays","tag-new-year","tag-new-years-eve","tag-new-years","tag-romania","tag-scotland","tag-spain","tag-traditions"],"yoast_head":"\nNew Year's Eve Celebrations Around the World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New Year's traditions vary all over the world. 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