New year traditions in China – Lantern Festival
Over in China, they’re on the same page as our friends in Appenzell. That’s right – they double up on their new year celebrations too. Ever since the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1911, the year has officially started on 1 January. And yet the real celebrations are reserved for Chinese New Year, which has thousands of years of tradition behind it. Since the exact timings are determined by the full moon, the big day falls on a different date each year. Chinese New Year is on 29 January in 2025 – the Year of the Snake.
The highlight of the celebrations is the legendary Chinese Lantern Festival. People all around the world will have seen pictures of the famous red lanterns hanging up everywhere in all shapes and sizes. The lanterns have riddles written on them – and there’s a prize for the person that solves them.
Want to know what NOT to do at Chinese New Year?
- The Chinese word for ‘shoe’ sounds just like the word for ‘evil’, so buying new shoes during Chinese New Year is believed to bring you bad luck!
- The Chinese word for ‘book’ sounds just like the word for ‘lose’, so it’s also believed to be a bad idea to buy or gift books at this time of year.
New year traditions in the USA – New York City
When you think about New Year’s Eve in the USA, chances are you picture the famous ball drop on Times Square in New York City. This tradition dates all the way back to 1907 and sees a brightly lit ball descend down a flagpole for one minute before midnight. It’s a visual representation of the last 60 seconds of the year, with everyonecrowds of people counting down loudly from ten together. At the stroke of midnight, everyone cheers and sings ‘Auld Lang Syne’ together. You can watch it here:
Times Square Ball Drop 2022 (Reuters/YouTube), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IREdXw__8BM
We can thank Hollywood for the fact that this American tradition is famous all around the world. The ceremony is shown on TV, with hundreds of millions of people tuning in live every year. There has been some controversy surrounding the size of the crowds at Times Square in recent years. The local authorities were estimating that 2 million people would turn up in 2018, but this was seriously disputed by (overseas) experts. In the words of the New York Times, “Let’s just say it was crowded.”
New year traditions in Brazil
Much like the USA, Brazil has traditions inspired by lots of different cultures. This really comes across on New Year’s Eve, or Réveillon, when there are so many extravagant customs, rituals and symbols – all with different backgrounds – that are believed to bring health, happiness, wealth and peace. One Réveillon tradition, rooted with its origins in Afro-Brazilian culture, is the white clothing that people wear because it represents peace and purity. People head to the beach, where they offer up tributes to Yemanjá, the goddess of the sea. Known for her vanity, she is gifted perfume, soap, mirrors, combs and jewellery on small boats sent out to sea. White roses are thrown into the water too.
Anyone looking for good luck in the new year will jump over seven waves when the clock strikes midnight and make a wish for every wave. In an attempt to gain extra good fortune, some people hop over the waves on their right foot. That’s supposed to give them a safe and successful start to the new year ahead.
New year traditions in Myanmar
The Thingyan new year festival is the biggest and best event on the calendar in Myanmar. The Water Festival, as it’s also known by the locals, is celebrated over three days in April. There are processions across the country, with water being sprayed from buckets, hoses and water pistols. The crowds are in high spirits as they dance in the water.
According to Buddhist beliefs, the water symbolises spiritual purification. And it also helps everyone cool down on hot April days, when the temperature often exceeds 30°C.
