What are the customs of celebrating New Year's Day in different countries?

The custom of celebrating New Year's Day varies from country to country.

Just after Santa Claus was sent away, the New Year's Day bell rang again. People in any country in the world are full of good hopes for the new year. On this New Year's Day, people all over the world welcome the New Year in their own unique and distinctive ways.

Germany: The wallet climbs high, with scales on it, which means good luck.

Germans attach great importance to New Year's Day, which they think is directly related to the luck of the next year. On New Year's Eve, people will light up and set off fireworks to "exorcise evil spirits" and bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. Before the New Year bell rings, many Germans will climb into chairs. When the bell rings, they will jump down and run behind the chairs to show their disaster. There is also a custom in rural Germany-tree climbing competition. It is said that the higher you climb, the better your luck. The person who climbs the highest every year will be praised as a "New Year hero" and envied by others.

Germans also have the custom of wearing new clothes on New Year's Day. They think that everything will be fine with new clothes in the new year. Dressing indiscriminately in the New Year is not smooth all the year round. In addition, they will put some fish scales in their wallets, because fish scales are new year mascots, which indicates that financial resources are rolling in; Many people also nail horseshoes to the wall to "exorcise evil spirits".

Britain: competing to dig wells to welcome relatives and friends late at night

In Britain, people don't begin traditional New Year greetings until midnight. Everyone opens the door and takes out the prepared little black bread to entertain the guests. The first visitor is usually regarded as a symbol of good luck in the New Year. If the first guest is a dark-haired man, or a happy, happy and rich person, then the host will be very lucky all year round. If the first guest is a woman with light yellow hair, or a sad, poor and unfortunate person, then the host will be unlucky and will encounter difficulties and disasters in the new year.

Drilling wells in the New Year is a long-standing custom in rural areas of central England. It is said that the first person to dig a well in the New Year is a blessed person, and the water in the well is auspicious water. So early in the morning on New Year's Day, people rushed to the well with buckets.

France: binge drinking to bid farewell to the old year.

New Year's Day in France was originally 1 in April every year. It was not until 1564 10/4 that King Charles IX changed it to 1. On New Year's Eve, French people get together and drink champagne around the table. According to tradition, every family should drink all the Tibetan wine that night to avoid bad luck in the coming year. Everyone should be as drunk as a fiddler, so that the new year will have a new beginning. In the early morning of June 65438+ 10/day, parents will give their children "lucky money" to show their love for their children.

The French believe that the weather in New Year indicates a year. On the morning of New Year's Day, they went to the streets to see the wind direction for divination: the south wind blows, which indicates that the weather will be good and the year will be safe and hot; The west wind blows, and fishing has a bumper year; If the east wind blows, the fruit will be rich; When the north wind blows, it is a poor harvest year.

Brazil: Climb the mountain for fun and meet each other.

After the New Year bell rang, Brazilians held high torches and flocked to climb mountains. They scrambled to find birch trees as a symbol of happiness. This activity is called "Looking for Happiness". It is said that only fearless people can find this rare fruit. In rural areas, there is also a unique custom of Chinese New Year-pulling each other's ears. When people meet on New Year's Day, they will try their best to hold each other's ears to express their blessings.

Belgium: People pay New Year greetings to livestock.

In Belgium, the first thing people do in the early morning of New Year's Day is to pay New Year greetings to livestock. Belgians will go to cows, sheep and their pets, cats and dogs and solemnly greet them: "Happy New Year!" "

Italians believe that the sound of New Year's Eve can exorcise evil spirits and realize a happy New Year, so people kept setting off fireworks and firecrackers that night, smashing everything that can be broken, from plates to jars, and throwing all the debris into the street. On New Year's Day, every household has to make a fire in the house, which can't be put out all day. Italians believe that fire comes from the sun. If it goes out on New Year's Day, it will be dark in the coming year, which will bring bad luck.

Mexico: Don't laugh before the New Year.

Mexican New Year customs are a bit strange. When the new year comes, people are forbidden to laugh. Mexicans divide a year into 18 months, and each month has about 20 days. According to tradition, if you want to get good luck, you can't laugh in the last five days of the year.

The history of America, an immigrant country, is not long, so the folk celebrations on New Year's Day are relatively dull compared with other countries. Besides partying and eating, most people stay at home and watch TV or sleep late. However, California's New Year celebrations are unique. When the new year comes, roses are everywhere in the streets and lanes, and dozens of floats decorated with flowers slowly pass by with girls in dresses. During the festival, people will choose the rose queen and princess of that year to greet the New Year aesthetically.

Spain: People scramble for grapes.

In Spain, when the bell at 0/2 o'clock on New Year's Eve/Kloc just struck the first sound, people rushed to eat grapes. If you can ring the bell and eat 12 grapes, it symbolizes peace and happiness in every month of the new year. Each grape has different meanings, such as the first "seeking peace", the fifth "harmony", the sixth "refuge" and the seventh.

On New Year's Day, Spanish parents are particularly "kind" and they will meet all the requirements of their children, because according to local customs, children's swearing, fighting and crying are ominous. At the same time, most Spaniards will carry a gold coin or copper coin to show good luck. Mcdull

Huashang Daily, June 65438+1October 65438+1October 2004

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