by Isabel Eva Bohrer
In the Western world, the 31st of December marks one of the biggest celebrations of the year. Many people travel far and wide to attend festivities, often partying until the sun comes up on January 1st. We all know about the expensive clubs in New York and the beach parties in Miami. But what happens in other parts of the world? Here’s how some other countries celebrate the arrival of the New Year.
CAMBODIA
The inhabitants of Cambodia rely on the Indian calendar to calculate when the New Year’s festival should start. According to the Gregorian calendar, this falls anywhere from the 12, 13 or 14 April, depending on the year. It last for three days, and the Cambodian New Year’s Eve is the day before the festival starts. In the local lingo, it’s called “Chaul Chnamn Thmey,” meaning “entering the New Year.”
HUNGARY
Hungary runs on the Western calendar, and thus New Year’s Eve falls, like in the other countries, on December 31st. However, even though it runs on the rest of the world’s calendar, there are still Hungarian traditions that remain. That is, even though opening a bottle of champagne has become part of a modern Hungarian New Year’s Eve (as has counting down to midnight), some Hungarians still retain the customs of their ancestors. For example, they burn effigies or a scapegoat that embodies the evils and misfortunes of the past year. This scapegoat is also known as “Jack Straw” and is carried throughout the villages prior to being set on fire.
SOUTH AFRICA
In South Africa, things could get a little loud on New Year’s Eve. The inhabitants have a tradition of ringing in the New Year with church bells and gunshots firing. Those who visit the Cape Province New Year’s Day and Second New Year’s Day will see a carnival with people dressed in colorful costumes. If you are in town, throw on a colorful outfit yourself and dance in the street to the sound of drums with the locals.
WALES
Tradition in Wales has it that the village boys would go from house to house at around 3 or 4 a.m. with an evergreen twig. They would sprinkle the latter over the people and then on each room of their house. Sprinkling the evergreen twig was said to bring good luck in the New Year. On New Year’s Day, the children moreover get up early to sing songs for their neighbors. In return, they are given sweets, apples, mince pies and sometimes even coins. But you have to get up early – after noon, the singers will be called fools.
Happy New Year!
Isabel Eva Bohrer is a freelance writer and photographer who has dispatched pieces from over twenty countries across five continents. Learn more about her work at www.isabelevabohrer.com.