These countries celebrate the New Year in unexpected ways

In Quebec it is well known that we generally welcome the New Year on a big Christmas Eve, outside under fireworks, or even at home, in front of bye bye or other specials. However, if almost all countries in the world use the Gregorian calendar and move from year to year on December 31st, not all of them will celebrate in the same way.

duty It gives you an overview of the different unusual customs, in four regions of the world, that aim to welcome the new year or look back on the year that is to come.

New Zealand – In this country that is one of the first in the world to change the year, many New Zealanders traditionally take to the streets at midnight, armed with frying pans, in order to produce a festive and unified religion. Fireworks follow these festivities in several cities. Moreover, in Auckland, the most populous in the country, the Sky Tower – a tower similar to the CN Tower in Toronto – is lit up and surrounded by fireworks.

South Africa – Like almost everyone else, South Africans celebrate the New Year at midnight on December 31st. However, in Cape Town, an important port city in the south of the country, we also celebrate Caps Clubswhere is the Cape Town Carnival MinstrelJan. 2. It is a carnival associated with the Cape Mestizos – a large ethnic group in the area – which stems from the fact that on January 2, black slaves got their only day off of the year, because their masters rested after the previous day’s festivities. Nowadays, a parade is held where performers parade through the streets, dressed in brightly colored clothes, and play festive music. This festival, which celebrates the New Year for people of color in Cape Town, is also of particular importance because it was banned for many years during apartheid.

Spain – Custom dictates that on December 31, at nocheviejaThe Spanish swallow 12 grapes, one after the other, to the rhythm of the 12 strokes of midnight, for 12 months of the year. The count is also broadcast live on TV. It is said that those who manage to swallow it in time will experience a year of luck and prosperity. This tradition dates back to 1909. After a year in which the grape harvest was prolific to the point of overproduction, the winegrowers of Alicante proposed that every Spaniard eat this fruit in this way on New Year’s Eve to sell their stock. Then the tradition spread to many countries of Latin America.

Scotland – The Scots celebrate, every December 31st, b new Year. It is a combination of traditional Scottish rituals and modern cultural events of diverse origins, including the pagan festivals of the Scandinavian winter solstice. For example, although it is practiced less and less, the introduced first is to be the first person to cross the threshold of a friend or neighbour, in the middle of the night, often with a symbolic gift such as whiskey or cake. Then this person is considered to bring wealth for the coming year. New Year’s Eve celebrations in Edinburgh are often the most popular in the world, bringing together hundreds of thousands of people. this year new Year Edinburgh will last three days and will consist of fireworks and concerts.

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