New Year's Eve - Wikipedia
Europe
Albania
Preparations for New Year's Eve in Albania start with the Christmas tree, which in Albania is known as "New Year's Tree" or "New Year's Pine". At midnight, Albanians toast and greet each other and fireworks are lit.
Austria
In Austria, New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with friends and family. At exactly midnight, all radio and television programmes operated by ORF broadcast the sound of the Pummerin, the bell of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, followed by the Donauwalzer ("The Blue Danube") by Johann Strauss II. Many Austrians dance to this at parties or in the street. Large crowds gather in the streets of Vienna, where the municipal government organizes a series of stages where bands and orchestras play. Fireworks are set off by both municipal governments and individuals.
Belgium
In Belgium, New Year's Eve (Dutch: Sint Sylvester Vooravond ["Saint Sylvester's Eve"] or Oudjaar ["old year"]) is celebrated with family parties – called réveillons [let's wake up] in the French speaking areas. On television, a stand-up comedian reviews the past year after which a musical or variety show signals midnight, when Belgians kiss, exchange good luck greetings, and toast the New Year and absent relatives and friends with champagne. Many Belgians light fireworks or go into the street to watch them. Most cities have their own fireworks display: the most famous is at Mont des Arts in Brussels. Cities, cafés and restaurants are crowded. Free bus services and special New Year's Eve taxis (the Responsible Young Drivers) bring Belgians home afterwards.
On 1 January (Dutch: Nieuwjaarsdag) children read their "New Year's letter" and give holiday greeting cards of decorated paper featuring golden cherubs and angels, colored roses and ribbon-tied garlands to parents and godparents, on decorated paper.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
New Year is widely celebrated in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Streets are decorated for New Year's Eve and there is a fireworks show and concerts in all of the larger cities. Restaurants, clubs, cafes and hotels are usually full of guests and they organize New Year's Eve parties.
In the capital Sarajevo, Bosnians gather in the Square of children of Sarajevo where a local rock band entertains them. Several trumpet and rock groups play until the early morning hours. At midnight there is a big fireworks show.
Czechia and Slovakia
Prague New Year Fireworks
New Year's Eve (Silvestr/Silvester) celebrations and traditions in Czech Republic and Slovakia are very similar. New Year's Eve is the noisiest day of the year. Czechs and Slovaks generally gather with friends at parties, in pubs, clubs, in the streets, or city squares to eat, drink, and celebrate the new year. Fireworks are a popular tradition; in large cities such as Bratislava, or Prague, the fireworks start before noon and steadily increase until the clock strikes midnight. In the first minutes after midnight, Czechs and Slovaks toast with champagne, wish each other a happy new year, fortune and health, and go outside for the fireworks displays.
In both countries all major TV stations air entertainment shows before and after the midnight countdown, which is followed by the National anthem of each country. The Presidents of the republics gave their New Year speech in the morning – ex-Czech President Miloš Zeman renewed the tradition of Christmas speeches. In recent years however the Czechoslovak national anthem is played at midnight in some stations, in honor of the shared history of both nations.
In this day, Czechs and Slovaks traditionally makes a sandwich-like food, the chlebíčky. The recipe is a bread, ham, cheese, egg and tomato.
The greeting is "Šťastný Nový rok!", but in Christany, they say "Všechno nejlepší do novího roku!" / "Všetko dobré do nového roku!" (All the best/goodness to the New Year!) followed by luck, helth etc. same as Birthday, but instead of saying "Thank you" they say "You too", because it's a nationwide holiday.
Denmark
New Year fireworks over Copenhagen
Danes in Denmark may go to parties or entertain guests at home. There is a special evening meal that concludes with Kransekage, a special dessert, along with champagne. Other traditional dishes are boiled cod, stewed kale and cured saddle of pork.[75] However, expensive cuts of beef as well as sushi have become increasingly popular.[76] Another well-known tradition is jumping off a chair at midnight, symbolizing a leap into the new year.[77]
Multiple significant traditional events are broadcast on television and radio on 31 December. This includes, but is not limited to:
The monarch's New Year message from Amalienborg Palace[78] at 18:00 and the Town Hall Clock in Copenhagen striking midnight. Thousands of Danes gather together in Rådhuspladsen (the Town Hall Square) and cheer.[79]
The Royal Guard[80][81] parade in their red gala uniforms. The climax of the celebration is fireworks launched as the Town Hall Tower bells chime on the stroke of midnight. After midnight, all radio & television stations play: "Vær velkommen, Herrens år [da]" [Danish new year's hymn] and followed by "Kong Christian stod ved højen mast" [Danish Royal Anthem] and "Der er et yndigt land" [Danish National Anthem].[82]
Like in the surrounding nations, the German comedy sketch Dinner for One is broadcast every year at 23:45, and ends just minutes before the new year. This has been a tradition every year since 1980 (except in 1985).
Another reoccurring broadcast is the 1968 film The Party, which is aired after midnight on 1 January.
Estonia
To celebrate New Year's Eve in Estonia, Estonians decorate villages, visit friends and prepare lavish meals.
Some believe that Estonians should eat seven, nine, or twelve times on New Year's Eve. These are lucky numbers in Estonia; it is believed that for each meal consumed, the person gains the strength of that many men the following year. Meals should not be completely finished—some food should be left for ancestors and spirits who visit the house on New Year's Eve.
Traditional New Year food includes pork with sauerkraut or Estonian sauerkraut (mulgikapsad), baked potatoes and swedes with hog's head, and white and blood sausage. Vegetarians can eat potato salad with navy beet[clarification needed] and pâté. Gingerbread and marzipan are very popular for dessert. Traditional New Year drinks include beer and mead, but mulled wine and champagne have become modern favourites.
Finland
Fireworks in the forest of Ruka on New Year's Eve in Kuusamo, Finland
In Finland, New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with family or friends. Late supper is served, often featuring wieners, Janssons frestelse, and potato salad. Some municipalities organize fireworks at midnight. Consumer fireworks are also very popular. A Finnish tradition is molybdomancy – to tell the fortunes of the New Year by melting "tin" (actually lead) in a tiny pan on the stove and throwing it quickly in a bucket of cold water. The resulting blob of metal is analyzed, for example by interpreting shadows it casts by candlelight. These predictions are however never taken seriously.
The principal broadcast is aired by YLE at Helsinki Senate Square featuring Finnish music stars. The countdown to the New Year is with the Helsinki Cathedral clock. Preceding this the German comedy sketch Dinner for One is shown every year in the afternoon. On the radio, just before midnight, the poem Hymyilevä Apollo (Smiling Apollo) by Eino Leino is read.[83]
France
Fireworks at Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
In France, New Year's Eve (la Saint-Sylvestre) is usually celebrated with a feast, le Réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre[84] (Cap d'Any in Northern Catalonia). This feast customarily includes special dishes including foie gras, seafood such as oysters, and champagne. The celebration can be a simple, intimate dinner with friends and family or, une soirée dansante, a much fancier ball.
On New Year's Day (le Jour de l'An) friends and family exchange New Year's resolutions, kisses, and wishes. Some people eat ice cream.[85]
Paris and Marseille host the main festivities of the day. A sound and light show using video mapping techniques has been held on the Arc de Triomphe since 2014 (except in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), ending with a fireworks display at midnight. It is broadcast live on major television networks like France 2.
Germany
In Germany, parties are common on New Year's Eve (Silvester), and wishes of luck may be worded as „Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!“, which literally translates into “Good slide into the new year!” or “Slide well into the new year!”[86], as well as „Prost Neujahr!“ for “Cheers (to the) New Year!” or „Frohes Neues!“ literally meaning “Happy new one!”[87] Fireworks are very popular, both with individuals and at large municipal displays. 31 December and the three days leading up to it are the only four days of the year on which fireworks (of class F2) may be sold to private citizens without a fireworks license in Germany[88]. Every year Berlin hosts one of the largest New Year's Eve celebrations in all of Europe, attended by over a million Germans. The focal point is the Brandenburg Gate, where midnight fireworks are centered, with a live broadcast on ZDF under the name Willkommen with musical guests beginning in 2011.[citation needed] Germans toast the New Year with a glass of Sekt (German sparkling wine) or champagne.[citation needed] Molybdomancy (Bleigießen) is another German New Year's Eve tradition, which involves telling fortunes by the shapes made by molten lead dropped into cold water. Other auspicious actions are to touch a chimney sweep or rub some ash on one's forehead for good luck and health. Jam-filled doughnuts with or without alcoholic fillings are eaten. Finally a tiny marzipan pig is consumed for more good luck.[citation needed] In some northern regions of Germany (e.g. East Frisia) the making of Speckendicken [de] (also Speckdicken) is another tradition – Germans go door to door visiting their neighbors and partaking in this dish. It looks similar to a pancake, but the recipe calls for either dark molasses or dark syrup, topped with a few mettwurst slices and bacon strips.[89]
Another notable tradition is watching the British comedy sketch Dinner for One, which has traditionally been broadcast on German television on New Year's Eve since 1972. The version traditionally broadcast on German television was originally recorded in 1963, and was occasionally used as filler programming by NDR due to popular demand; in 1972, Dinner for One received its traditional New Year's Eve scheduling. The sketch, as well as its catchphrase "the same procedure as every year", are well known in German pop culture. Dinner for One is also broadcast on or around New Year's Eve in other European countries, although it is, ironically, relatively unknown in the United Kingdom.[34][90]
In 2023 On New Year's Eve in Berlin, the fire department reported 38 separate incidents, including 14 cases where firetrucks were supposedly "lured into ambushes" and shot at with fireworks and pelted with beer crates.The level of aggression toward emergency service staff was completely unexpected, Berlin fire department spokesman Thomas Kirstein told public radio RBB. A total of 15 emergency responders were injured in Berlin, with one requiring hospital treatment. The police department said 18 of its officers had been injured.
Berlin's fire department said it was "shocked and saddened" by the incidents, which left many asking what lies behind the apparent increase in violence toward emergency service staff and why they in particular have become a target.[91]
Greece
Further information: Revised Julian calendar
A midnight fireworks display is held over the historic Parthenon temple in the capital of Athens.[92]
Fireworks at Parthenon in Athens entering 2018.
A common tradition among Greek Orthodox families is the cutting of a vasilopita ("King's pie" or "St. Basil's pie") at midnight. A coin or similar object is usually baked inside, and whoever finds it is said to have luck over the next year. New Year's Day is considered a feast day for Basil of Caesarea, and it is also considered a custom to reserve the first slice of the vasilopita for St. Basil.[93][94]
Hungary
Midnight – Millenáris, NYE 2017
New Year's Eve (Szilveszter) in Hungary is celebrated with home parties and street parties, including a gathering in downtown Budapest. Fireworks and firecrackers are popular. Champagne, wine and traditional Hungarian New Year dishes—frankfurter sausages with horseradish, lentil soup, fish, and roast pig—are consumed. The national anthem is commonly sung at midnight.
Television channels usually broadcast comedic and musical programs most of the day and in the evening. At midnight, a countdown is followed by the national anthem and the President's speech (which is usually pre-recorded).
A common greeting is "BUÉK!", a common slang expression to 'wish a Happy New Year' (or Boldog Új évet).
In past centuries, some Hungarians believed that animals were able to speak on New Year's Eve, and that onion skins sprinkled with salt could indicate a rainy month.
Hungarian Christian communities focus on celebrating Mass on both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.[95][96] The Kiskarácsony traditions are also connected to the time (a holiday which has been present since the Middle Ages or longer)
Iceland
New Year fireworks over Reykjavík, Iceland
Fireworks are very popular in Iceland, particularly on New Year's Eve. Iceland's biggest New Year's Eve events are usually in and around the capital, Reykjavík.
Since the 1940s, the country's public broadcaster RÚV has traditionally broadcast Áramótaskaupið (literally The New Year's Comedy or The New Year's Lampoon), a special which features comedy sketches satirizing the events and news headlines of the past year. Originating from radio and later moving to television, the special is the most-watched television program of the year in Iceland (with an estimated 75% of the population having watched the special in 2018, across 98% of all televisions in the country).[97] Some of its sketches have become well known in local popular culture, such as a 1989 sketch that portrayed then Minister of Finance Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson as a Batman-esque superhero known as "Skattmann" ("Taxman"), and a 2008 sketch which popularized the catchphrase "Helvítis fokking fokk!" as a reaction to the Icelandic financial crisis.[97][98]
Ireland
New Year's Eve (Oíche Chinn Bliana, Oíche na Coda Móire or Oíche Chaille, the night of big portion)[99] when traditionally households would partake in a large feast that was believed to ensure a plentiful new year.[100] Beliefs around the day meant that no food or other goods would be taken from the house, to guard against lack or hunger in the year to come, believing that if anything was taken from the house on this day the house would remain empty for the year and have no luck. It was traditional for no water to be drawn from a well after sunset.[101] Even the homeless and those in need would not be offered food or alms on this day. In some parts of the country, a large barmbrack would be baked during the day, with the man of the house taking three large bites of the cake in the evening, and throwing it against the inside of the front door as an offering to the Holy Trinity. An invocation accompanied this:
Fógraímíd an gorta
Amach go tír na dTurcach;
Ó 'nocht go bliain ó 'nocht
Agus 'nocht féin amach[100]
This translates as "We warn famine to retire, To the land of the Turks; From tonight to this night twelve months, And from this night itself." The bits of cake would be gathered, and eaten by the family.[100] Other variations include throwing the cake to someone outside the door, or conducting the ritual in the stables or other animal housing.[99] Church bells ringing, the lighting of bonfires, and singing would take place towards midnight.[100]
In modern times, celebrations in major cities are modest, with most Irish citizens favoring small parties in the home for family and friends.
Italy
Fireworks going off at the stroke of midnight at the Colosseum in Rome to welcome 2012
Traditional cotechino, polenta and lentils
In Italy, New Year's Eve (Italian: Vigilia di Capodanno or Notte di San Silvestro) is celebrated by the observation of traditional rituals, such as wearing red underwear.[102] An ancient tradition in southern regions which is rarely followed today was disposing of old or unused items by dropping them from the window.[103]
Dinner is traditionally eaten with relatives and friends. It often includes zampone or cotechino (a meal made with pig's trotters or entrails), lentils, and (in Northern Italy) polenta. At 20:30, the President of Italy's address to the nation, produced by RAI, the state broadcaster, is broadcast countrywide on radio and TV networks.[104]
Rarely followed today is the tradition that consist in eating lentil stew when the bell tolls midnight, one spoonful per bell. This is supposed to bring good fortune; the round lentils represent coins.[105]
Usually the evening is spent with family or friends in a square (where concerts or various parties are organised and broadcast on various television networks including Rai 1 and Canale 5) but also at home. Generally, starting from ten seconds before midnight, it is customary to count down until reaching zero, thus wishing a happy new year, toasting with spumante and watching or lighting fireworks, shooting firecrackers or guns loaded with blanks.
Malta
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[106] Although professional fireworks are very popular in Malta, they are almost totally absent on New Year's Eve. Maltese usually hit nightclubs and specific dance music parties to celebrate New Year's Eve.
Montenegro
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.
Netherlands
The New Year's fireworks at the Erasmusbrug in Rotterdam.
A group of people holding a bonfire and carbidschieten.
New Year's Eve (Oud en Nieuw or Oudejaarsavond) in the Netherlands is usually celebrated as a cozy evening with family or friends, although big organized parties can also be attended. Traditional snack foods are oliebollen (Dutch doughnuts)[107] and appelbeignets (apple slice fritters).[108] A past tradition among Reformed Protestant families was the reading of Psalm 90 shortly before midnight.[109]
A common television special on New Year's Eve is the oudejaarsconference (New Year's conference), a satirical cabaret performance discussing the events of the past year.[110] Since 1999, originally to mark the new millennium, NPO Radio 2 has broadcast an annual countdown of the top 2000 songs of all time as determined by a survey of its listeners. The Top 2000 usually begins on Christmas Day, and airs non-stop through New Year's Eve from a temporary studio at the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision in Hilversum.[111][112][113]
Fireworks displays are held in major cities such as Rotterdam (which is the largest display in the country) and Amsterdam.[114] New Year's Eve is the only time of year where category F2 and F3 fireworks can be legally purchased for private use by the general public without training and/or certification; these fireworks may only be sold during the last three days of the year (excluding any Sundays), and may only be lit between 6 p.m. on 31 December and 2 a.m. on 1 January.[115][114][116] A popular alternative or compliment to fireworks in rural areas is carbidschieten (carbide shooting), in which calcium carbide explosions are used to shoot the lid (or, alternatively, a ball) off the top of a milk churn. In 2014, carbidschieten was named a part of the Netherlands' intangible cultural heritage.[117][118]
Due to injuries and deaths caused by fireworks use, there have been increasing calls for banning the public sale of fireworks for New Year's Eve.[119][120][121] As of 2024, 19 municipalities have banned fireworks outside of professional shows, and around 100 have enforced prohibitions on the use of fireworks in proximity to areas such as parks and hospitals. However, these policies have proven ineffective due to the wide use of illegal fireworks.[122][119] In April 2025, the Tweede Kamer passed a motion seeking to completely ban consumer fireworks; any such ban will not take effect until New Year's 2026–27 at the earliest, due to the need to draft the required legislation, as well as address concerns from the pyrotechnics industry (which has demanded compensation from the government for the loss of business that a ban would create).[119][120][121][123]
Macedonia
New Year's Eve is celebrated across North Macedonia. New Year's Day is celebrated by day-long fireworks shows. The day is celebrated together with family or friends at home or in restaurants, clubs, cafés and hotels. During the daytime celebration, children get gifts. Evening celebrations include food, music, and dancing to both traditional Macedonian folk music, and modern music. New Year's Eve is celebrated on 31 December and also on 14 January according to the Macedonian Orthodox Calendar.
Norway
In Norway, New Year's Eve (Nyttårsaften) is the second biggest celebration of the year, after Christmas Eve. While Christmas Eve is a family celebration, New Year's Eve is an opportunity to celebrate with friends.[124]
Traditionally, there is first a feast, commonly consisting of stuffed, roast turkey with potatoes, sprouts, gravy and Waldorf salad. The accompanying beverage is traditionally beer (commonly either Christmas beer or lager beer). Dessert will often be vanilla pudding or rice cream, and there will be cakes and coffee later in the evening – commonly accompanied by a glass of cognac. Then, at close to midnight on New Year's Day, Norwegians will go outside to send up fireworks. Fireworks are only permitted to be sold to the general public on the days leading up to New Year's Eve, and only to be launched that night.
Due to the general use of fireworks, more fires occur on New Year's Eve than on any other day of the year in Norway. Accordingly, most Norwegian cities, and many towns, host a large, public fireworks display in order to discourage private use of fireworks in built-up areas. Norwegians will then congregate in a central square or similar to watch and celebrate.
Poland
In Poland, New Year's Eve (Sylwester) celebrations include both indoor and outdoor festivities. A large open-air concert is held in the Main Square in Kraków. 150,000 to 200,000 revelers celebrate the New Year with live music and a fireworks display over St. Mary's Basilica.[125] Similar festivities are held in other cities around Poland.
For those who do not wish to spend the New Year in the city, the mountains are a popular destination. Zakopane, located in the Carpathian Mountains, is the most popular Polish mountain resort in winter.
Also, New Year's Eve (Sylwester) celebrations are in Katowice, near the Spodek arena. In Sławatycze, Polish Citizens tour the streets dressed up as bearded men.[126]
Major television networks broadcast the events live all across the country on New Year's Eve like Polsat and TVP.
Portugal
Fireworks in Funchal, Madeira Islands
In Portugal, the New Year celebration is taken very seriously. The tradition is to drink champagne and eat twelve raisins – one for each month of the year, making a wish for each. Another Portuguese tradition is a special cake called Bolo-Rei (literally: King Cake). Bolo-Rei is a round cake with a large hole in the centre, resembling a crown covered with crystallized and dried fruit. It is baked from a soft, white dough, with raisins, various nuts and crystallized fruit. Inside is hidden the characteristic fava (broad bean). Tradition dictates that whoever finds the fava has to pay for the Bolo-Rei next year. Initially, a small prize (usually a small metal toy) was also included within the cake. However, the inclusion of the prize was forbidden by the European Union for safety reasons. The Portuguese brought the recipe of the Gateau des Rois from France in the second half of the 19th century. To this day, this recipe is a very well kept secret.
In Lisbon, the New Year is celebrated with a grand concert. The New Year's Concert is held at the CCB (Centro Cultural de Belém) on the evening of 1 January, featuring the prestigious Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra.
Romania
Romexpo indoors during Vanghelion New Year's Eve party.
Traditional celebrations of New Year's Eve (Revelion) are the norm in Romania. Romanians follow centuries-old customs, rituals, and conventions. Children sing "Plugușorul" and "Sorcova", traditional carols that wish goodwill, happiness and success.
Parties are common in the evening. Since the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Romanians have gathered in the University Square in Bucharest. Other significant parties occur in Piața Constituției. New Year's Eve is also marked by a national all-night telecast on Romanian Television, which also celebrates its anniversary on this holiday, having opened its doors in the New Year's Eve of 1956.
Russia
Main article: Novy God
Midnight at Red Square in 2012.
The most prominent public celebration of the New Year is held at Moscow's Red Square under the Kremlin Clock—whose chimes at midnight are traditionally followed by the playing of the Russian national anthem, and a fireworks display.[127] The President's New Year's address is televised shortly before midnight in each time zone, reflecting on the previous year and the state of the country. In 1999, unpopular president Boris Yeltsin famously announced his resignation during his New Year's address.[128][129][130]
Novy God (Russian: Новый Год, lit. 'New Year') is celebrated as a gift-giving holiday with similarities to Christmas; New Year trees (yolka) are decorated and displayed in homes and public spaces,[131][132][133] and Ded Moroz (Russian: Дед Мороз, lit. 'Father Frost') is depicted as delivering presents to children on New Year's Eve.[131][132][133] with assistance from his granddaughter Snegurochka (Russian: Снегурочка, lit. 'the Snow Maiden').[134]
The Novy God traditions were established under Soviet rule, when the Communist Party abolished Christmas and other religious holidays in 1928 as part of policies meant to curtail the practice of religion. In 1935, Soviet officials, including politician Pavel Postyshev, began promoting the New Year as a non-working holiday in the benefit of youth. Christmas traditions such as trees and a Santa Claus-like figure were adapted in a secular form.[131][132][133][135] Even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the reinstatement of religious holidays, Novy God has remained a popular celebration in modern Russia,[136][137][131] and among Soviet and Russian expats living in other countries.[138]
Two Soviet comedy films set during the holiday—Carnival Night (1956) and The Irony of Fate (1976)—are often broadcast by Russian television channels on New Year's Eve,[139][140] with the latter having been compared to the traditional Christmas Eve airing of It's a Wonderful Life in the United States.[141] The Soviet variety show Little Blue Light traditionally broadcast a New Year's special, which was revived by Russia-1 in 1997.[142][143]
Serbia
The Gregorian calendar was adopted by Yugoslavia in 1919,[144] but the Serbian Orthodox Church continues to follow the Julian calendar, meaning that the new year is often celebrated twice. Prior to World War II, the New Year's holiday was celebrated more often by Serbs in urban regions, with large parties held on both 1 and 14 January. By contrast, residents of rural regions rarely celebrated the new year, and placed a larger focus on Christmas.[145]
In 1945 after World War II, the League of Communists of Yugoslavia came into power, and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was succeeded by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFR Yugoslavia). As in the Soviet Union, the communist government discouraged the observance of religious holidays, encouraged celebrations of the New Year on 1 January as a secular gift-giving holiday, and similarly adopted the figure of Ded Moroz as "Deda Mraz".[146] Some residents (especially those in opposition to the communist government) continued to celebrate the Orthodox New Year, doing so quietly by candlelight in order to evade attention from authorities.[145]
After the end of communist rule and the breakup of Yugoslavia, the three holidays began to co-exist: the Gregorian New Year (1 January) and the Serbian New Year (14 January) are both marked by festivities in major Serbian cities, although festivities for the Serbian New Year (which, in 2013, was redesignated as a public holiday for the first time since 1918) are usually modest in comparison to their Gregorian counterparts.[146][145]
Slovenia
As in the other constituents of SFR Yugoslavia, Christmas and other religious holidays were abolished by the communist government in the mid-1940s, with the New Year promoted as a secular holiday in the place of Saint Nicholas Day and Christmas. Ded Moroz is referred to in Slovenian as "Dedek Mraz", and was originally billed as having come from Siberia. After Yugoslavia broke from the Eastern Bloc, the character was stated to come from the Triglav mountain instead, and artist Maksim Gaspari created a new depiction of Dedek Mraz in traditional Slovenian apparel.[147]
Saint Nicholas Day and Christmas were reinstated as holidays after the end of communist rule.[147]
Spain
Madrid's Puerta del Sol on New Year's Eve, 2005.
In Spain, the main public celebration of New Year's Eve (Nochevieja, literally "Old Night", or Fin de Año) is held at Puerta del Sol in Madrid, where revellers await the midnight chimes of the clock tower at the Royal House of the Post Office. A notable Spanish tradition is to eat twelve grapes at midnight—one for each chime of the clock—which is said to bring luck and prosperity. The tradition dates back as early as 1895[148] but first gained wider attention in 1909, when it was promoted by Alicante grape growers to help spur sales of that year's surplus harvest. In the lead-up to the holiday, grocery stores are usually stocked with large amounts of grapes.[149][150] The tradition has also been adopted in other communities with cultural ties to Spain or Latin America, including Hispanic and Latino Americans.[151][152]
It is common to attend cotillones de nochevieja that last into the following morning,[153] including smaller parties at bars and larger-scale events at hotels. After midnight, Spaniards often drink sparkling wines such as cava and champagne.[150]
Several Spanish television personalities have become well known in Spanish popular culture for their involvement in New Year's specials, including Ramón García—who has hosted specials for Televisión Española (TVE) and Antena 3, and model Cristina Pedroche—who is known for the often-provocative dresses she has worn on-air.[154][155][156][157][158]
A 10 km (6.2 mi) race known as the San Silvestre Vallecana is also held in Madrid on the evening of New Year's Eve, which includes an amateur fun run and a competitive event for elite athletes. In 2012 the event hosted a record of around 40,000 runners.[159]
Sweden
Gothenburg fireworks on New Year's Eve, 2008.
In Sweden, New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with families or with friends. A few hours before and after midnight, Swedish citizens usually party and eat a special dinner, often three courses. New Year's Eve is celebrated with large fireworks displays throughout the country, especially in the cities, major ones in particular having distinguishing celebrations. Swedish citizens over the age of 18 are allowed to buy fireworks, which are sold by local stores or by private people. While watching or lighting fireworks at midnight, Swedish citizens usually drink champagne.
On television, the lottery show BingoLotto features a special New Year's Eve edition to commemorate the holiday with musical guests, four bingo games, and surprises.
Switzerland
In Switzerland, New Year's Eve is typically celebrated in private gatherings or public events.
The final of the Spengler Cup ice hockey tournament is traditionally held on New Year's Eve.
Ukraine
New Year celebration in Kyiv
The main public celebration is held at Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv, including concerts and a fireworks display. For 2013–14, amid the Euromaidan movement, it also included a world record attempt at the largest simultaneous singing of a national anthem.[160] New Year's Eve also coincides with Malanka, a folk custom that has similarities to mummering.[161][162]
Under Soviet rule, Ukrainian New Year's celebrations were patterned off the secular Novy God traditions, with Christmas (which, among those who practice Eastern Christianity, is held on 7 January) officially considered abolished—if not celebrated in secret by those opposed to the communist regime. Christmas regained prominence after the dissolution, with figures such as Grandfather Frost eventually being displaced by Western figures such as Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus,[163][164] and traditions associated with Novy God have been demonized by Ukrainians amid the Russo-Ukrainian War and the 2014 annexation of Crimea—such as yolka (New Year's trees) and the Soviet film The Irony of Fate (which was pulled by STB in 2015 as part of the Boycott Russian Films campaign, citing a lead actress who had been blacklisted by the Ukraine government for her support of the annexation).[165][166]
United Kingdom
England
The most prominent New Year's Eve (Old Year's Night) celebration in England is that of Central London, where the arrival of midnight is greeted with the chimes of Big Ben and it is televised on major British television networks including BBC One and ITV 1. In recent years, a major fireworks display has also been held, with fireworks launched from the nearby London Eye Ferris wheel. On New Year's Eve 2010, an estimated 250,000 spectators gathered to view an eight-minute fireworks display around and above the London Eye which was, for the first time, set to a musical soundtrack.[167][168] A drone show was added to the fireworks for the first time in 2021.[169][170][171]
Other major New Year events are held in the cities of Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, and Newcastle.
Scotland
Main article: Hogmanay
See also: Edinburgh's Hogmanay
Hogmanay fireworks in Edinburgh.
In Scotland, New Year's (Hogmanay) is celebrated with several different customs, such as first-footing, which involves friends or family members going to each other's houses with a gift of whisky and sometimes a lump of coal.
Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, hosts one of the world's most famous New Year celebrations. The celebration is focused on a major street party along Princes Street. The cannon is fired at Edinburgh Castle at the stroke of midnight, followed by a large fireworks display. Edinburgh hosts a festival of four or five days, beginning on 28 December, and lasting until New Year's Day or 2 January, which is also a bank holiday in Scotland.
From 1953 to 1985, Hogmanay had received exposure across the entire United Kingdom via the BBC, who televised BBC Scotland-produced specials such as The White Heather Club as part of their New Year's Eve programming. The specials were often lambasted by critics for their stereotypical portrayal of Scottish culture, but were popular enough to spawn competitors on ITV. The practice ended after 1985, when the poor reception to that year's Live into 85 led to the BBC, among others, abandoning the concept altogether. BBC One Scotland has since continued to air a local Hogmanay special from Edinburgh as a regional opt-out, with the rest of the UK taking a London-centric special (albeit with one exception in 1998–99, when BBC One networked an Edinburgh-based special that would turn out to be equally-shambolic).[172][173][174]
Wales
Further information: Calennig
A Mari Lwyd c. 1910–1914. Traditionally carried from door to door during Calennig in Wales
The Welsh tradition of giving gifts and money on New Year's Day (Welsh: Calennig) is an ancient custom that survives in modern-day Wales.[175] Groups of singers, such as children or young people, go around the houses of their local area and sing a new years song to wish a happy new year.[176] The custom, similar to carol singing, leads to the group receiving money for their performance.[176] This custom is also coupled with the tradition wassailing in the presence of Mari Lwyd (a horse's head mounted on a pole).[177]
In Cwm Gwaun, Pembrokeshire, the tradition of observing the Old New Year (on the 13 January) is still followed with similar festivities including Calennig.[178]
Thousands of Welsh citizens descend every year on Cardiff to enjoy live music, catering, ice-skating, funfairs, and fireworks. Many of the celebrations take place at Cardiff Castle and Cardiff City Hall.
Every New Year's Eve, the Nos Galan road race (Rasys Nos Galan), a five-kilometre (3.1 mi) running contest, is held in Mountain Ash in the Cynon Valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. The race celebrates the life and achievements of Welsh runner Guto Nyth Brân.
Founded in 1958 by local runner Bernard Baldwin, it is run over the five-kilometre route of Guto's first competitive race. The main race starts with a church service at Llanwynno, and then a wreath is laid on Guto's grave in Llanwynno graveyard. After lighting a torch, it is carried to the nearby town of Mountain Ash, where the main race takes place.
The race consists of a double circuit of the town Centre, starting in Henry Street and ending in Oxford Street, by the commemorative statue of Guto. Traditionally, the race was timed to end at midnight, but in recent times it was rescheduled for the convenience of family entertainment, now concluding at around 9 pm.
This has resulted in a growth in size and scale, and the proceedings now start with an afternoon of street entertainment, and fun run races for children, concluding with the church service, elite runners' race, and presentations

Silvester
Als Silvester (regional auch Altjahrstag oder Altjahrestag) wird in einigen europäischen Sprachen der 31. Dezember, der letzte Tag des Jahres im gregorianischen Kalender, bezeichnet. Nach dem Heiligenkalender der römisch-katholischen Kirche ist dies der Gedenktag des heiligen Papstes Silvester I. Auf Silvester folgt der Neujahrstag.
Im deutschsprachigen Raum wird am Silvestertag mit einem Guten Rutsch gegrüßt. Der Silvesterabend wird häufig in Gesellschaft begangen. Zum Jahreswechsel um Mitternacht wird meist mit Feuerwerk und Glockengeläut gefeiert. Bei privaten Silvesterfeiern sind Bleigießen (neuerdings Zinn- oder Wachsgießen) sowie das Öffnen einer Flasche Sekt zum Jahreswechsel weit verbreitet. Die Kirchen bieten nächtliche Gottesdienste an.
In der Stadt Schiltach im Schwarzwald besteht der Jahrhunderte alte, ursprünglich kirchliche und in seiner Form einzigartige Brauch des Silvesterzugs.
Im Schweizer Kanton Appenzell Ausserrhoden halten am 31. Dezember und am 13. Januar (Alter Silvester) die Silvesterchläuse Einzug. Falls der 31. Dezember bzw. 13. Januar auf einen Sonntag fällt, findet das Silvesterchlausen am Samstag statt. Das Silvesterchlausen ist der wohl eindrücklichste Winterbrauch im Appenzellerland. Die Chläuse werden in drei Arten unterschieden: die „Wüeschte“, die „Schöne“ und die „Schöwüeschte“ oder Naturchläuse. Sie treten fast ausschließlich in „Schuppel“ (Gruppen) auf. Schon in der ersten Morgendämmerung des Silvestertages sind viele der Chlausschuppel unterwegs in der nahen Umgebung der Gemeinden, um bei Freunden zu „chlausen“ und zu „zauren“. Wenn die Chlausengruppen in die Dörfer ziehen, hört man sie mit ihren Schellen schon von Weitem.
An Silvesterläufen nehmen tausende von Menschen – oft für einen Spendenobolus – teil. Der weltweit größte Silvesterlauf San Silvestre Vallecana findet mit über 20.000 Teilnehmern in der spanischen Hauptstadt Madrid statt. Der größte deutsche Lauf, der Silvesterlauf von Werl nach Soest, wird auf einem 15 km langen Teilstück der Bundesstraße 1 ausgetragen. Seit fast 25 Jahren nehmen über 8000 Läufer aller Altersklassen für eine gemeinnützige Sache teil. Der Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre, der älteste und zweitgrößte Lauf dieser Art weltweit, startet alljährlich in der brasilianischen Stadt São Paulo mit 13.000 Teilnehmern.
Weitere Bräuche zum neuen Jahr finden sich unter Neujahrsfest.
Silvester – Wikipedia

IrapuatoJan 1

So wünscht man oft „einen Guten Rutsch“ ins neue Jahr. Glück- und Gesundheitswünsche auszusprechen, ist noch einige Tage nach Neujahr üblich.
Große Kultur- und Sinfonieorchester veranstalten an Neujahr oft ein Neujahrskonzert, etwa das Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker.
Für viele Menschen spielen die sog. Glücksbringer eine große Rolle, etwa Glücksschweine und Rauchfangkehrer (Schornsteinfeger), Vierblättriger Klee usw. Auch das Geschenkpapier ist mit diesen Symbolen bedruckt. Als Naschwerk werden Berliner (Pfannkuchen) oder Neujahrskrapfen gereicht.
Bei der französischen Feier Le Réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre gehören Champagner und das mitternächtliche Küssen unter dem Mistelzweig dazu und zum schottischen Hogmanay wird die Tradition des „first-footing“ kultiviert, bei dem man mit einem Glas Whisky, einem Stück Kohle, und weiteren definierten Mitbringseln über die Schwelle von Nachbarn und Freunden tritt. Im angelsächsischen Sprachraum ist das Singen des Traditionals Auld Lang Syne weit verbreitet.
Bis in das 18. Jahrhundert hinein gehörten häufig Gewehrschüsse zum Neujahrsfest, wie sich aus einer Verordnung zur Brandverhütung vom 12. Oktober 1751 im Kurfürstentum Trier ergibt. Hiermit wurde zu Neujahr und weiteren Anlässen dieses Schießen verboten. Die Strafe für Übertretungen, die auch hier wohl sehr häufig waren, wurde am 23. April 1774 auf zwei Gulden erhöht.
In Franken gibt es den dörflichen Brauch, dass am 1. Januar, später am 28. Dezember üblich, Kinder von Haus zu Haus ziehen und mit einem aufgesagten Spruch um ein Geschenk bitten.
Eine breite Übersicht besonders über das ältere Neujahrsbrauchtum in der Deutschschweiz findet sich im Schweizerischen Idiotikon.

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