(CPV) - There are lots of ways to welcome the New Year. People around the globe welcome 2014 with their own unique customs. Following are some of the special New Year traditions around the world.
1. Predicting custom in Finland
It’s a longtime Finnish tradition to predict the coming year by casting molten tin into a container of water, and then interpreting the shape the metal takes after hardening. A heart or ring shape means a wedding in the New Year; a ship forecasts travel; and a pig shape signifies plenty of food.
2. Burning “Mr. Old Year” in Colombia
Burning “Mr. Old Year” is a New Year’s tradition in some cities of Colombia. It requires the participation of the entire family. It is a lot of fun; they fabricate a big stuffed male doll that represents the old year. Then they stuff the doll with different materials. Sometimes they put some little fireworks in it to make it more exciting at the time they burn it. Also, they put things inside that they don’t want anymore, objects that can bring sadness or bad memories.
These things will burn with the old year, meaning that they want to forget all the bad things that happened during the past year. They dress the man with old clothes from each member of the family. Then, on New Year’s Eve at midnight, they set the doll on fire. This symbolizes burning the past and getting ready to start a happy New Year without bad memories of the past.
3. St. Basil’s Day in Greece
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 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 honour him.
There are many special dishes that are prepared at New Year, but the most important dish is Vassilopitta or St Basil’s cake, inside the cake is placed a silver or gold coin and whoever finds it will be lucky in the coming year.
4. Eating 7 meals a day custom in Estonia
In Estonia, it is believed that on New Year’s Eve people should eat 7, 9 or 12 meals for good luck. It is thought that if a man eats seven meals he will acquire the strength of seven men. Now that sounds like a New Year’s Eve challenge!
5. Eating 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve in Spain
The Twelve Grapes to the chimes of the clock at midnight on New Years Eve has been a Spanish tradition since 1909. In December that year, some vine growers from the Alicante area came up with “The 12 Grapes” as an idea to sell huge amounts of grapes from an excellent harvest.
Since that time Spanish people have kept up the tradition as a way to celebrate New Year’s Eve. On the last day of the year, the 31st of December, they wait until twelve p.m. Everybody has to have twelve grapes ready to eat when the clock starts to chime. It is traditional to listen to the clock from Puerta del Sol in Madrid and in other town squares around the country.
When it is midnight in Spain on New Years Eve, each time the clock chimes, all the people put a grape in their mouth. By the time the clock has finished chiming for the twelfth time, everybody has to have finished their grapes and the New Year starts.
Eating the grapes is very funny because everybody starts the New Year with a full mouthful of grapes. It’s almost impossible to finish eating the grapes by the time the clock finishes chiming and quite often people still have all the grapes in their mouths, and they start looking at each other and have to laugh.
If you manage to eat the 12 grapes then you will have 12 months good luck.
6. Leaping off chairs and smashing dishes on neighbour’s door- Denmark
Some Danes celebrate New Year’s by leaping off chairs at midnight, literally “jumping into the new year.” Jumping off furniture is believed to bring good luck in the year to come and chase away bad luck. In another unusual New Year’s ritual, some Danes also smash plates against their friends’ and neighbours’ front door at the stroke of midnight. Breaking plates is meant to symbolize good luck. In a kind of neighbourhood popularity contest, the family with the most broken china piled on their front door can boast having the most friends.
7. New York City’s Times Square Ball Drop in US
The Times Square Ball is located in New York City’s Times Square. Hung from the roof of One Times Square, the ball is a prominent part of a New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square colloquially known as the ball drop.
The 2014 Times Square Ball Drop is a great way to countdown to “Happy New Year”. The Times Square ball drop is one of the best-known New Year’s celebration internationally. It is attended by at least 1 million spectators yearly and enjoys a national television audience across New Year’s Eve specials on several of the United States’ major broadcast television networks, along with coverage on several major cable networks./.
Đăng ký: VietNam News