New Year's Eve is almost here and people are gearing up to pop the bubbly and dance the night away. With the clock striking the Cinderella hour, 2015 will arrive as Jan.1 brings in fresh starts and New Year resolutions galore.
While many of us who follow the Gregorian calendar will greet our loved ones on this day, several cultures will wait for their New Year to arrive later in the year. For example, the Chinese celebrate their New Year in late January or early February and the Jews ring in Rosh Hashanah - their New Year - in Autumn.
While the days and ways of ushering in the New Year may be different in various cultures, one common binding factor is the underlying belief - i.e. ringing in the positive and bidding adieu to the negatives.
Some of the nuances of New Year's celebrations are quite unusual and reflective of the culture. In Sao Paulo for example, people wear bright underpants to welcome the New Year. The colors too have significance. For instance if love is what you're looking for then - you guessed it right - red is the color. However, if it is money that you're after, then yellow is the color of choice.
People often believe that as the old year transitions into the next, one's actions on New Year's Eve or the first day will determine how the rest of the year unfolds and the course it takes. Hinging on this notion is the Filipino belief that if one eats round fruits and wears polka dots, then the year ahead will be prosperous and fruitful (literally)!
Another thing which is common on New Year is fireworks, but have you ever wondered why? In many cultures, the ancients believed that fire had the power to purify and destroyed the negativities and bad spirits of the past year. This way, the New Year would be free of negatives.
In Scotland, the festival of Hogmanay sees people swing massive fireballs over their head. Panama ushers in the year by burning muñecos or effigies of politicians and popular celebrities. The Spanish, on the other hand, abide by the belief that eating a handful of grapes at the midnight hour also banishes evil.
As another year hobbles away and old man time gears up to ring in the next, here are a few languages in which you can greet your family and friends this New Year:
Gelukkig Nieuwjaar (Dutch)
Felice anno nuovo (Italian)
Bonne Année (French)
Frohes Neues Jahr (German)
Feliz Ano Novo (Portuguese)
Hauoli Makahiki hou (Hawaiian)
Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu (Japanese)
Sawatdee Pi Mai (Thai)
新年快乐 (xin nian kuai le) / 新年好 (xin nian hao) (Chinese)
Head uut aastat (Estonian)
Boldog uj evet (Hungarian)
Sehe Bokmanee Bateuseyo (Korean)
Manigong Bagong Taon (Filipino)
La Multi Ani si Un An Nou Fericit (Romanian)
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda (Welsh)
Eutychismenos o kainourgios chronos (Greek)
Chuc mung nam moi (Vietnamese)
Barka da sabuwar shekara (Nigerian)
Godt Nytt År (Norwegian)
Stastny Novy Rok (Czech)
