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Copenhagen City Hall: Five minutes to twelve the City Hall bells are shown on TV. Then you wait anxiously for the bell to ring.
Torben Hede Hansen (37) from Denmark
“A typical Danish New Year starts around 15 minutes before 6 p.m. The guests gather at their host’s to listen to the Queen’s speech. She performs at the same time every December 31st and ends the speech with “God save Denmark”, followed by a toast with cheap sparkling wine. When it comes to food, the hosts usually go to great lengths and the guests share in the cost of the menu. One of the guests is giving a speech about the past year or has prepared a quiz. Shortly before midnight, the film “Dinner for One” is shown on television. Many Danes watch this film every year. At five minutes to twelve the town hall bells of Copenhagen are faded in. Then the countdown begins.”
Elsa Mitova (26) from Bulgaria
«On New Year’s Eve we traditionally make a banitsa, which is a kind of cheesecake with Bulgarian white cheese and puff pastry. My grandmother was particularly good at baking it. Kusmetcheta are placed between the dough sheets and the cheese, these are small lucky notes on which good wishes for the New Year are written. That’s always done by the oldest man in the family, my grandfather in our case. At midnight, each person in the family turns the plate on which the banitsa lies once. And you get the piece with the Kusmetcheta, which is in front of you at the end. You then read the pieces of paper to each other, and you get the wish you drew.”
Jennifer Thomas (50) from England
“My husband, our two children and I live in Buckinghamshire. We love celebrating New Year’s Eve and have been doing it at the same friends’ houses for the last few years. When big groups were okay these friends would invite eight to ten families at a time – as you can imagine we always had a lot of fun. We were given some country as a motto and then we dressed accordingly. The party featured singing, dancing and games. Just before midnight we turned on the TV to watch the fireworks all over London. At midnight we counted backwards from ten, toasting with a “Cheers!” and sang the traditional song «Auld Lang Syne». This year we also dress up and eat in our formal dining room to make the evening special. Then at midnight we call all our family members.”
Bianca McInnes (27) from Australia
«In Australia it is traditional to see the big fireworks in Sydney on New Year’s Eve. I, too, am always up close and personal since I’ve lived in the city. I either watch the spectacle from the beach or even directly from the Sydney Harbor Bridge. My friends and I hang out there, listen to music and have a drink together. Before the fireworks, we count the countdown aloud. Unfortunately, the fireworks were canceled this year and because of the renewed lockdown, there is not a very exciting but cozy New Year’s Eve at home with my family. »
Bruno Rocha (44) from Brazil
«I especially like going to the beach on New Year’s Eve because this place reconnects me with the good things in life. The sea brings the peace and tranquility I need. In my city in northeastern Brazil, we usually get together with the people we love to celebrate another year of accomplishments. It is also customary to prepare special dishes for the new year and to eat lentils, which are said to bring good luck for the whole year to come. Just like opening a champagne is said to bring luck, money and peace. The most superstitious also jump into the sea three times.”
Jessica Droujko (29) from Canada
“In Canada, every household has its own New Year’s Eve tradition. This is mainly because most Canadians are immigrants. For example, I am a first-generation Canadian. My family is originally from Russia. This year it will be a quiet New Year’s Eve with close family. In other years, I always spent December 31 with my friends. Sometimes we went to an open air concert organized by the city for free, but mostly we had a big house party. There, all guests brought something to eat and created a “potluck dinner”, a Canadian buffet. We counted down from ten and as soon as twelve o’clock struck, you gave your loved one a kiss. And if you didn’t have that, you had better find someone to kiss as soon as possible!”
Misa Hofrajterova (30) from the Czech Republic
«On December 31, friends and family gather in the Czech Republic to eat together. We prepare chlebicky and chutovky. These sandwiches are a typical holiday special. Especially on New Year’s Day we have a lot of rituals – things that you should or should not do. For example, you shouldn’t clean on January 1st, because otherwise you’ll wipe luck out of the house. A dish of lentils is traditionally eaten, as this brings prosperity in the new year. Also, there’s a belief that the mood on New Year’s Day sets the tone for the rest of the year – so it’s best not to argue or be in a bad mood.”
Moon Heo (34) from South Korea
«In South Korea we celebrate New Year’s twice. On New Year’s Eve there are fireworks in some places, and after that it’s common to see the first sunrise of the new year. To see the sunrise as early as possible, go to an eastern location, up a mountain or by the sea. However, the Korean New Year according to the lunar calendar is more important to us Koreans. On this date, one of the biggest traditional holidays, the whole family and relatives get together and cook and eat together. The main dish of the day is tteokguk, a rice cake soup. If you eat them, they say, you’re a year older.”