Near, or after midnight, Santa Claus visits houses and leaves presents under the tree, to be unpacked then or, if the family is asleep, to be discovered in the morning. In Montenegro, New Year’s Eve celebrations are held in all large cities, usually accompanied by fireworks. It is usually celebrated with family or friends, at home or outside. Restaurants, clubs, cafés and hotels organize celebrations with food and music. Ambang Tahun Baru, a celebration sponsored by the government was held at Merdeka Square, the field opposite the Sultan Abdul Samad Building in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur in the early days. The event was broadcast live on government as well as private TV stations at those times.
In the first minutes after midnight, people toast with champagne, wish each other a happy new year, fortune and health, and go outside for the fireworks. Nashville has typically held festivities featuring appearances by country music performers. Los Angeles, a city long without a major public New Year celebration, held an inaugural gathering in Downtown’s newly completed Grand Park to celebrate the arrival of 2014. The event included food trucks, art installations, and culminated with a projection mapping show on the side of Los Angeles City Hall near midnight.
The resulting blob of metal is analyzed, for example by interpreting shadows it casts by candlelight. In China, although the celebrations of the Lunar New Year are not until a few weeks after the Gregorian New Year, celebrations of the Gregorian New Year are held in some areas, particularly in major cities. Since 2011, a light and sound show has been held at The Bund in Shanghai, a few minutes before midnight. Radio specials give a countdown and announce the New Year.
These parties, which include balls hosted by hotels, usually display their own fireworks and are often very well-attended. Fireworks displays are also held in select cities in the regions. Mongolians began celebrating the Gregorian New Year in the Socialist period, with influence from the former Soviet Union.
Over time, the ball itself has ballooned from a 700-pound iron-and-wood orb to a brightly patterned sphere 12 feet in diameter and weighing in at nearly 12,000 pounds. Various towns and cities across America have developed their own versions of the Times Square ritual, organizing public drops of items ranging from pickles to possums at midnight on New Year’s Eve. In the Philippines, celebrations are very loud, believing that the noise will scare away evil beings. There is often a midnight feast featuring twelve different round fruits to symbolize good luck for the twelve months of the year. Other traditional foods include sticky rice and noodles, but not chicken or fish because these animals are food foragers, which can be seen as bad luck for the next year’s food supply. In Slovenia, New Year’s Eve is known as a Saint Sylvester’s Day .
Here are some fun ways to celebrate the arrival of the new year at home with the kids. Join in on a joyous rendition of the traditional New Year’s song, just like in all the old movies. In the past, the gift giving season didn’t stop at Christmas!
Malta organized its first New Year’s street party in 2009 in Floriana. The event was not highly advertised and proved controversial, due to the closing of an arterial street for the day. In 2010 there were the first national celebrations in St. George’s Square, Valletta Although professional fireworks are very popular in Malta, they are almost totally absent on New Year’s Eve. Usually the Maltese hit nightclubs and specific dance music parties to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
There are many shows, events, awards and parties organized all over India. Big and small celebrities and personalities perform as well as enjoy in these parties. Many discos and pubs organize big singers, DJs or local talent to liven up the night with their music and songs. Goa and Kerala are the most visited destinations during New Year celebrations both by Indian and foreign tourists.
We love hearing about couples whose tradition is a New Year’s Eve brunch or lunch at a favorite, special restaurant. What a great way to extend the fun of the day and a perfect build-up for celebrating with fireworks later on. While most Westerners experience ‘Chinese New Year’ by watching parades in Chinatown and having a great meal, its traditions vary from country to country. The holiday is more aptly called ‘Lunar New Year’, as it marks the start of a new lunar cycle, and is one of the most important holidays in Asia. Since midnight is past most kids’ bedtimes, they can’t participate in the Champagne toasts of New Year’s Eve. However, there are still plenty of ways kids can celebrate the new year.