How to Celebrate an International New Year?

(Tips and Historical References)

Russian people, being rather superstitious and obedient to proverbs and sayings, sincerely believe that the way you see the New Year in will foretell your fortune for the 365 days ahead. It means that the choice of the place, the company, even the accessories are all vitally important to attract cakes and ales of the approaching year.
In order to be well-informed and a bit unconventional on the New Year’s Day we’d like to call your attention to some interesting national traditions of different countries and cultures, which could be converted in our mental perception of the holiday and combined into a stunning international festival.
In English-speaking countries there is a great deal of historical traditions and rituals which are observed eagerly today. For instance, in Britain the custom of first footing is practiced. The first male visitor to the house after midnight is usually supposed to bring good luck (on the contrary, the blond, red-haired or just women are associated with misfortune). 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 inheritance of the Druids is a belief that a gift of twigs from the mistletoe (a sacred plant and the magic source of fertility) is to attract a fruitful year in the number of children, as well as the amount of cattle and the amount of crop. In the celebration of the Irish New Year, called Samhain, this tradition is strictly observed, too. In ancient times, when the Irish people saw New Year in on the 31 of October (Halloween the present day), it was believed the spirits of the dead could do harm unless precautions were taken. The Celtic priests went into the woods on New Year’s Eve to gather bunches of mistletoe which they handed out to people to protect them from any harm. Also bonfires were lit to drive away evil forces.
The tradition of making bonfires is common for a number of countries – it’s believed that setting fireworks and making noises will help to drive evil forces.
In South America this tradition is represented in more symbolic and extended way. Ano Viejo – the New Year – festival is celebrated by creating a fake person or dummy. The scarecrow-looking person is completely dressed and stuffed with old newspapers and firecrackers. The dummy is usually placed outside the home. The scarecrow represents something that has happened during the last year. At midnight each family sets the dummy on fire. As the dummy goes up in smoke the firecrackers also go off to add to the festivities. The old year is forgotten and the New Year begins.
In Bolivia, families make beautiful little wood or straw dolls to hang outside their homes to bring good luck.

On New Year’s Day it’s extremely important what sort of food is on the table. Concerning this point of view, the countries and cultures are so different! Speaking about Tibetan New Year traditions (actually, they celebrate it in late January or early February at the time of the new moon) it’s necessary to name a very special dish, cooked ready for the New Year. It is a soup which is made from meat, wheat, rice, sweet potatoes, cheese, peas, green peppers, vermicelli and radishes. This dish is served with small dumplings. These dumplings contain such things as scraps of wood, paper or pebbles. These are to foretell the future ahead with it being good or bad. Charcoal meant a black heart.
The practice of foretelling the future using different items and products is rather popular in Germany. The people would drop molten lead into cold water and try to tell the future from the shape it made. A heart or ring shape meant a wedding, a ship a journey, and a pig plenty of food in the year ahead.
People also would leave a bit of every food eaten on New Year’s Eve on their plate until after Midnight as a way of ensuring a well-stocked larder. Carp was included as it was thought to bring wealth.
In the USA a lot of people like to celebrate New Year in Times Square in New York City. At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve people will kiss or honk car horns. Paper blowers and whistles are blown. A soul food of black-eyed peas and rice called Hoppin’ John is eaten by some. Other foods that are eaten at New Year are cake and champagne.
In France dinner parties are thrown for the entire family. People exchange presents and greeting cards. People began sending fake gifts on April first which originally culminated in the New Year feast of course these gifts were only as a joke on those who previously had received their etrennes or New Year’s gifts, on that day.
Poisson d’avril or April fish is the name the French apply to one who is fooled or mocked on April first. Confectioners’ windows display chocolate fish on this day and many friends anonymously send each other humorous postcards imprinted with pictures of fish.

All in all, the New Year celebration is not only a strictly managed ritual with spiritual meaning, but just the chance to have fun and enjoy onerself. And now you can do it in so may international ways! Happy New Year!