How and when are New Years celebrated in different countries?

Perhaps not a single holiday unites people of different countries and nationalities as much as the New Year. He is loved by many. But each nation has its own traditions and they celebrate everything in different ways. It will be very interesting to know how and when the New Year is celebrated in different countries.

The New Year has long been considered the main holiday and consists in the fact that the old year gives way to a new one. And the description of the origin of the holiday dates back to 46 BC, when Julius Caesar set the date for the celebration on January 1. That's why most countries have celebrated and continue to celebrate the arrival of the new year on the night of December 31 to January 1. But in Russia, this tradition appeared much later, and was introduced by Peter I. Previously, the onset of the new year was celebrated on September 1.

Elizabeth I made her own adjustments and came up with a masquerade ball to make the holidays more fun. But the traditional feast and ball are not all symbols of the holiday. The Russians began to drink champagne actively after the victory over Napoleon, and it was then that they tasted its taste. And they began to clink glasses with crystal clinking glasses under Alexander II.

Christmas walks hand in hand with New Year. Only in most countries, Catholic Christmas is celebrated on the eve of the New Year, and Orthodox Christmas after. These two holidays with the same name have their own Christmas customs in different countries.

Not everyone celebrates the New Year from December 31 to January 1. There are countries where this holiday is celebrated in September. These include Ethiopia. In Israel, there are two dates for celebrating the New Year: in September, the Jewish is celebrated, and in December, the calendar. As for the 31st, the December New Year comes gradually, he walks around the planet, visiting one country after another. In the middle of the day (Moscow time at 13.00), when the inhabitants of the central part of Russia are only in anticipation of an important date, others are already celebrating the New Year with might and main, and this is the population of the Line Islands (the state of Kiribati), at 13.15 the time comes to meet the holiday for the inhabitants of the Chatham archipelago ( New Zealand).

The list of countries that cross the New Year's line one after another with an hour difference is quite extensive. On New Year's Eve, many countries have already crossed the border in Moscow, and even part of Russia is already outside the old year - this is the Far East, Yakutia, Sakhalin, Kamchatka. But even with the onset of January 1, the New Year procession does not end, then Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Ireland, Iceland, Great Britain and many other countries take over the baton.

In any corner of Russia, there are moments in celebrating the New Year that unite absolutely all regions. All of them are associated with chimes, to the sounds of which people congratulate each other, make wishes. But some peoples have their own customs and rituals, favorite dishes and their own nuances of celebrating the New Year due to climatic conditions. Residents of the capital rush to Red Square to hear the Moscow chimes in the immediate vicinity and celebrate the holiday in front of a large crowd of people - noisy, fun.

In Mordovia, Bashkiria and Udmurtia, everyone is still preparing for the holiday, the hostesses are trying to surprise the guests, but there is food that is considered traditional by different peoples. By tradition, the Mordovians will put millet pancakes on the festive table, the Bashkirians will put dumplings, and the Udmurts will have all kinds of pies on the menu - with berries, fish, meat. Otherwise, the celebration is no different from other regions.

Traditionally, all Russians from the Far East to the Southern region prepare their favorite New Year's salads - Olivier and herring under a fur coat. Hot dishes include a wide variety of options - they cook chicken, pork, beef, and someone has adopted the tradition from Europeans, and carp takes pride of place on the New Year's table. The indispensable components of the New Year's table are fruits, first of all, tangerines, and then everything that will suit your taste. The table can be decorated with grapes, pineapple, oranges, kiwi, apples, mangoes.

Representatives of the snowy regions are happy to celebrate the arrival of the New Year by participating in winter fun - they ride on slides, sledges, make snowmen, play snowballs. But the inhabitants of the Kuban and Crimea are deprived of such an opportunity, the above-zero temperature on December 31 allows them to go to the seashore and celebrate the New Year there, many do so. Residents of private houses, of which there are many on the coast, barbecue. At night, most people go outside and set off fireworks.

New Years in Europe are celebrated after Christmas, which is very important in a number of Catholic countries. It is celebrated in the family circle, they give each other gifts, prepare their favorite dishes. The New Year itself is a fun holiday, which can be celebrated with friends, go to the central square, visit a restaurant, go out of town. Despite the general tendency to have fun and cook delicious meals, each country has its own characteristics of celebrating New Year's Eve.

• In France they do not so much honor the tree as they strive to decorate the house with sprigs of mistletoe, they make wreaths out of it. And be sure to kindle a fireplace on New Year's holidays. And in bright noisy Paris on this day they have fun on the streets of cities, where various shows are held, and fireworks are set off.
• In Germany The most popular meeting place for the holiday is the Brandenburg Gate. Young people go to bars and discos.
• In Georgia festivities are welcome, everyone is attracted by a huge Christmas tree on the central square in Tbilisi. At home, the holiday takes place in the family circle, neighbors are always welcome, who bring fruits and sweets with them.
• In Greece traditionally, the head of the family breaks a pomegranate at his doorstep, which symbolizes happiness and prosperity next year. The further the grains rolled back, the better. The Greeks call the New Year the Day of St. Basil; Greek children are waiting for gifts by hanging their shoes on the doors of their houses.
• In NorwayLike other Scandinavian countries, noisy festivities are less popular. A quiet family dinner, and before it, going to church is more welcome. The decoration of the table is a baked goose with apples; its neighbors are pork ribs and seafood.
• In the Czech Republic they love to walk, have fun, singers and dancers perform on the streets all night. On the Charles Bridge, residents make wishes and admire the grandiose fireworks, which is considered one of the largest in Europe.
• In Poland fun too. Everyone is eager to see the country's main Christmas tree in Warsaw. New Year is called Saint Sylvester's Day. On this day, it is customary to distribute debts and ask everyone for forgiveness.
• In Moldavia they like to celebrate the New Year, observing all the traditions. For the holiday, Moldovan women make sure to bake sweet prediction pies and treat them to guests.
• In Estonia they prefer to celebrate the New Year in the sauna, or at least visit there the day before. It is believed that this way you can cleanse yourself of everything bad, start life from scratch, attract prosperity and good luck.
• In Lithuania the holiday is like a fairy tale: snow, lights, a large-scale race of Santa Claus.
• In Denmark all the same traditions in terms of fun and delicious food. But, in addition, at midnight you must certainly jump off the stool. This is how the Danes jump into the new year, leaving behind all the bad things.
• In Scotland travelers will be greeted by cozy streets sparkling with lights and pleasant music. Exactly at 12 at night, the owners of the houses open the front doors. So they see off the outgoing year and meet the new one.
• In Belgium a grandiose culinary festival is held, where chefs from all over the world come to surprise people with their masterpieces.

It is impossible to cover all countries and traditions. Just as cheerfully, as in all of Europe, the holiday is celebrated in Sweden, Portugal, Serbia, Bulgaria. Santa Claus, Christmas trees and gifts are accepted everywhere. If you want to travel around the former republics of the USSR, you can have fun in the Republic of Belarus (formerly Belarus), in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan. Everywhere has its own dishes, traditions.

If the New Year in countries where there is winter with snow and other attributes looks familiar and traditional for many, then the New Year in hot countries, for example, African will look completely different, and in some it may not be at all. In Saudi Arabia, for example, there is no such holiday. In Islam, it is not considered possible to mark the change of dates. In addition, this holiday is considered a sign of another religion; it is strictly forbidden to honor and promote other religions in Saudi Arabia.

In all Arab countries the picture is the same, the main thing is the beginning of the year according to the Islamic calendar, but he does not have a specific date, it changes every time. And there are no festivities on this occasion. But since there are many tourists and young people in the UAE, on the night of December 31 to January 1, festivities are still held in honor of the European New Year to please tourists. The indigenous population does not welcome this holiday.

The same can be said for Egypt. Tourists will be able to find entertainment there for themselves, but residents do not celebrate this holiday. In Iran and Afghanistan, the date of December 31 also does not exist. There, the New Year is celebrated in March. Indonesia is a state of islands that includes many cultures. New Year is celebrated here several times on different calendars. Traditionally, on December 31, tourists are entertained here, who do not want trees and snow for the New Year, but a bright sun and a raging sea. There is no specific date in Africa either. There, the New Year has a different meaning and it is more often associated with some natural events. But nothing prevents tourists from celebrating their favorite holiday in a hot country.

In Mongolia, by the way, they also celebrate the coming of the New Year at a different time. It is called "Gypsy Sar", symbolizes the onset of spring, but is celebrated in February. However, this people also celebrates the second holiday, which falls on December 31, as it should be with Santa Claus, a Christmas tree and other attributes.

Sagaalgan - Buddhist New Year - is celebrated on the first spring new moon, so the dates of its arrival are always different (late January - mid-March). On New Year's Eve, the most respected lamas introduce the inhabitants of their country to the astrological forecast for the next year, which they themselves make. In the temples, special services are held, which, as a rule, last for a very long time. If there is no way to visit the temple, the mantras should be recited at home.

On the eve of the New Year, a ritual of purification is performed. After eating, the remnants of food, candles, coins, a molded dough man (painted red) is wrapped in a bundle, and then taken to some vacant lot and thrown away with the words: "Get out of here." This is how they drive away all the bad things from the house.

In America, as in Europe, Christmas is in the first place, while the New Year itself is usually celebrated in noisy companies, and for this, shows, carnivals, and fireworks are organized in all cities. In Canada, the holiday is traditionally held with Christmas trees in the squares, performances by artists, feasts and other events. Diving in ice water can be considered an interesting tradition. It is believed that this will definitely bring good luck.

Brazil has a huge beach party. People throw white flowers into the sea to symbolize good luck in the coming year. In Peru and Colombia, they will delight you with carnival processions and theatrical performances, colorful costumes and fairy-tale characters. In Argentina, people gather in a family circle; turkey is considered the central dish.

An interesting tradition followed by the Argentines is to throw out old calendars and unnecessary paper on the eve of the holiday, both in homes and offices. Venezuela celebrates the New Year on a grand scale. Be sure to make big dolls the day before and burn them, which symbolizes getting rid of problems. In addition, it is customary to give each other colored underwear, which means well-being for the next year.

In Burma, the New Year has nothing to do with the holiday in its usual sense. Here it is celebrated in April during the rainy season, which is associated with the future harvest. Therefore, the main event here is the water festival, during which people are encouraged to pour water over each other.

Each nation has its own unusual characteristics of preparation and celebration, which they follow.

• In italy it is customary to wear red underwear on New Year's Eve, and the day before old things and furniture are thrown away. The tradition of throwing out trash has taken root in other countries as well.
• In France it is customary to kiss under the branches of mistletoe. It is believed that in this way everything will be formed, relations will improve, love will definitely come into life.
• There are strange traditions in Panama. They stuff famous people, dress them up and burn them. This is considered a manifestation of universal love and respect.
• Carnival is a great tradition. And it takes place in many countries, such as Brazil and Argentina.
• In Spain from year to year do not forget to eat 12 grapes for a successful year.
• In Bashkiria the male part of the population likes to go to the bathhouse. While the men go to wash, the women sit down to make dumplings.

In each country, the New Year weekend lasts a different number of days. In Germany, people rest on January 1, and on the second they are already going to work. In the UK, they start work on January 3, in Italy and Spain they rest until January 7. In foreign countries, the main weekend is Christmas. Therefore, long winter vacations are organized for children at this time.

In English-speaking countries, they last from December 25 to January 8. But in each country, these dates may vary - come earlier, end later, and vice versa. Children rest in America, Germany, Spain and Italy.

Many amazing facts are connected with the New Year. Only a few examples can be cited.

• In Islam, the year is shortened by 11-12 days, so the New Year comes at a different time each time.
• In Iran, New Year is celebrated in the spring, and this symbolizes awakening and new life.
• If we talk about Russia, then long feasts are the merit of Peter I. It was necessary to drink and eat for three days without stopping. The doors of the hall were locked with a key, no one could leave.
• Elizabeth I saved the situation a little by coming up with a must-have entertainment for the New Year - a masquerade ball.

For information on how and when the New Year is celebrated in different countries, see the next video.