Well, it’s finally the end of 2020, a year we would all like to forget. Let’s hope 2021 will be a big improvement. Although, New Year’s Eve always has held a special place in my heart. I love festive celebrations of any kind, and New Year’s Eve is one of the best. It’s one of the two times a year you get to watch fireworks, and if you’re a child, you might get to stay up way past your bedtime. The watching of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” is a tradition I love. There are always handsome celebrities and great music. Plus, you get to see the ball drop at Times Square. Participating in the celebration is almost as American as apple pie. Many years ago, I bought what was called “Party in a Box.” It is simply a cardboard box full of horns, whistles, paper crowns, balloons, party blowers, streamers, hand clappers, leis, etc. I have reused it every year and have also used it for birthday parties. I never had to worry about going out on New Year’s Eve, as long as I had my “Party in a Box.” We all know what American traditions are for New Year’s Eve. Let’s find out what happens in other countries.
According to Wikipedia, in the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve — also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester’s Day in many countries — the last day of the year, is on December 31. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated at evening parties, where many people dance, eat, drink and watch or light fireworks. Some Christians attend a watchnight service. The celebrations generally go on past midnight into New Year’s Day, January 1.
The Line Islands — part of Kiribati — and Tonga, are examples of the first places to welcome the New Year, while Baker Island (an uninhabited atoll part of the United States Minor Outlying Islands) and American Samoa are among the last.
Africa
Ghana
In Ghana, many people celebrate New Year's Eve by going to church; others go to nightclubs, pubs or take to the streets to celebrate. At midnight, fireworks are displayed across various cities of Ghana, especially in Accra and Tema.
Nigeria
In Nigeria, New Year's Eve is often celebrated by going to church; others go to nightclubs, and parties organized by individuals, communities or state government like the Lagos Countdown. The Lagos Countdown is an event in Nigeria, created to increase tourism and making Lagos a premium destination for business and leisure. The event kicks off in December and lasts till January 1. It is attended by an average of 100,000 people. The event takes place at the Eko Atlantic city, beside the Barbeach attracting thousands of domestic and foreign tourists who are entertained every evening by different artists.
Rwanda
In Rwanda, New Year's Eve is celebrated mostly by going to church, taking part in social gatherings and family activities. The services usually start from 6 p.m. for the Roman Catholic church and 10 p.m. for the Protestants. At midnight, the president delivers an end-of-year address which is broadcast live on many radio and televisions stations. Fireworks were introduced in recent years, with the most significant displays happening at Kigali Convention Centre, Rebero Hill, Mount Kigali.
South Africa
People in South Africa vote on a top ten music countdown before December 31. When the countdown reaches No. 1, the song with the most votes plays on all the country's radio stations. Fireworks are lit all around South Africa. People engage in occasional drinking and braais, grilling food over coals.
South Sudan
In South Sudan, people attend church services at many churches in Juba. The service begins at 9 p.m. At the stroke of midnight, people sing the famous carol “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” to mark the end and beginning of the year with a blessing. The service ends at 12:30 a.m.
Americas
Argentina
Traditional celebrations in Argentina include a family dinner of traditional dishes, including vitel tonné, asado, sandwiches de miga, piononos. Like dessert: turron, mantecol and pan dulce.
Just before midnight, people flock to the streets to enjoy fireworks and light firecrackers. The fireworks can be seen in any terrace. The first day of the New Year is celebrated at midnight with cider or champagne. People wish each other a happy New Year, and sometimes share a toast with neighbors. Parties often continue until dawn. Residents in La Plata have a long tradition of making giants dolls — mostly made of paper and wood with some fireworks — to burn down later on after midnight.
The celebration is during the summer — like in many South American countries — so it's normal to see many families in the New Year at tourist centers of the Argentine Atlantic coast — Mar del Plata, Necochea, Villa Gesell, Miramar, etc.
Brazil
Because Brazil is in the southern hemisphere, New Year's Eve is the second holiday of the summer season. The month of January is the peak of the school holiday season in the country. Unlike Christmas, when most people spend supper with close relatives or friends, a large number of people celebrate the date in restaurants or private clubs, where large parties are held. The local traditions determine the opening a bottle of champagne or a correlate at midnight. Due to the great religious syncretism, there is a tradition of wearing certain colored clothes during that night's celebrations e.g., white for good luck; yellow for good energies, happiness and money; and red for love. Several rituals such as the consumption of grapes, lychees and lentils also take place due to this mixture.
Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro hosts the main party in the country, with one of the main fireworks displays. The event is televised live on major Brazilian television networks with the most notable being “Show Da Virada” on Globo. In 2017–18, the local security services estimated an accumulated audience of more than three million people, coming from locations around the world. Outside the main centers of the country, the main celebrations take place in Manaus in the region around the Rio Negro Bridge, where also monumental fireworks display also happens.
Apart from the beach or river celebrations, another big event happens on Paulista Avenue, in São Paulo. The capital Brasilia also holds a public celebration on the Monumental Axis or Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha; each year could be held in a different place, due public security reasons. Usually, the party attracts an annual average of over 100,000 people. Due to local traditions, the parties host a massive fireworks display.
Another national tradition is the realization in São Paulo is the Saint Silvester Road Race which is held annually since 1925. The route of the race involves several famous or main streets of the city's downtown as the Avenida Brigadeiro Luís Antônio and the Viaduto do Chá ending at Paulista Avenue.
Canada
In 1992, the sketch comedy troupe Royal Canadian Air Farce began airing an annual New Year's Eve special — “Year of the Farce” — on CBC Television which featured sketches lampooning the major events and news stories of the year. The 1992 edition was presented as a one-off special — as the troupe's first production made specifically for television — and became part of a regular Royal Canadian Air Farce television series that aired from 1993 through 2008. The 2008 edition doubled as the program's series finale, but “Year of the Farce” continued to air as an annual reunion special until 2019, featuring members of the original cast. It was announced that due to budget cuts and other factors, the 2019 edition which premiered prior to New Year's Eve would be the final edition.
Since 2017 — with the inaugural edition marking the beginning of the country's sesquicentennial year — CBC has also broadcast a more traditional countdown special, with music performances and live coverage of festivities from a city in each time zone with the telecasts split regionally across the CBC's regional stations.
Similarly, the CBC's French-language television network Ici Radio-Canada Télé airs its own New Year's Eve comedy special, “Bye Bye.” Unlike “Year of the Farce,” “Bye Bye” has been presented by various comedians; originally running from 1968 to 1998, it was revived in 2006 by the Québécois troupe Rock et Belles Oreilles. Its 2008 edition, hosted and co-produced by Québécois television personality Véronique Cloutier, was criticized for featuring sketches that viewers perceived as offensive, including sketches making fun of English Canadians and American president-elect Barack Obama. In 2018, the special was seen by 3.3 million viewers.
Chile
New Year's Eve is celebrated in Chile by the observation of traditional rituals, such as wearing yellow underwear and yellow clothing. It is said to restore vitality to your life. People who want to travel walk the streets with a suitcase in hand, others hold money in their hand or place coins at their door for good fortune in the new year. Celebrations include a family dinner with special dishes, usually lentils for good luck and 12 grapes to symbolize wishes for each month of the coming year. Family celebrations usually last until midnight, then some continue partying with friends until dawn. In Chile's capital Santiago, thousands of people gather at the Entel Tower to watch the countdown to midnight and a fireworks display.
There are several fireworks shows across the country. Over one million spectators attend the most popular, "Año Nuevo en el Mar," in Valparaiso. Since 2000, the sale of fireworks to individuals has been illegal, meaning fireworks can now only be observed at major displays.
Colombia
In Colombia it is a traditional celebration. There are many traditions across the country. Included among these traditions are: a family dinner with special dishes, fireworks, popular music, wearing special or new clothes, eating empanadas and different parties. With each stroke of the clock until midnight, the families eat grapes.
Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, families usually gather around 8 p.m. for parties that last until 1 or 2 a.m. the next day. There are several traditions among Costa Rican families, including eating 12 grapes representing 12 wishes for the new year and running across the street with luggage to bring new trips and adventures in the upcoming year.
Ecuador
A New Year's Eve tradition in Ecuador is for men to dress haphazardly in drag — clowny-looking make-up, cheap colorful wigs and very hairy legs in miniskirts — for New Year's Eve representing the "widow" of the year that has passed. The "widows" then go to the streets and stop each car that passes on that particular street in order to parody some form of sexy dancing. Large crowds would gather around to watch and laugh at the entertainment and the drivers are forced to give the "widows" some coins in order to obtain passage through the street.
El Salvador
In El Salvador, New Year's Eve is spent with families. Family parties start around 5:00 p.m. and last until 1:00 to 3:00 a.m. the following day. Families eat dinner together and sing traditional New Year's Eve songs, such as "Cinco para las Doce." After dinner, individuals light fireworks and continue partying outside. A radio station broadcasts a countdown to midnight. When the clock strikes midnight, fireworks are lit across the country. People start exchanging hugs and wishes for the new year.
The main event takes place at midnight where fireworks are lit along with thousands of life-size effigies called "Año Viejo." Most every local family creates the effigy from paper scraps and old clothes or purchases it altogether. They place it just outside the front of their home. The effigy represents things you disliked from the previous year and are made to look like famous celebrities, politicians, public servants, cartoons, etc. They are burned right at midnight to shed the old year and represent a new beginning. Some of the braver El Salvadorians jump through these burning effigies 12 times to represent a wish for every month.
Guatemala
In Guatemala, banks close on New Year's Eve, and businesses close at noon. In the town of Antigua, people usually gather at the Santa Catalina Clock Arch to celebrate New Year's Eve. In Guatemala City the celebrations are centered on Plaza Mayor. Firecrackers are lit starting at sundown, continuing without interruption into the night. Guatemalans wear new clothes for good fortune and eat a grape with each of the 12 chimes of the bell during the New Year countdown, while making a wish with each one.
The celebrations include religious themes which may be either Mayan or Catholic. Catholic celebrations are similar to those at Christmas. Gifts are left under the tree on Christmas morning by the Christ Child for the children, but parents and adults do not exchange gifts until New Year's Day.
Mexico
Mexicans celebrate New Year's Eve by eating a grape with each of the 12 chimes of a clock's bell during the midnight countdown, while making a wish with each one. Mexican families decorate homes and parties in colors that represent wishes for the upcoming year: red encourages an overall improvement of lifestyle and love, yellow encourages blessings of improved employment conditions, green for improved financial circumstances and white for improved health. Mexican sweet bread is baked with a coin or charm hidden in the dough. When the bread is served, the recipient of the slice with the coin or charm is said to be blessed with good luck in the New Year. Another tradition is to make a list of all the bad or unhappy events over the past 12 months; before midnight, this list is thrown into a fire, symbolizing the removal of negative energy from the new year. At the same time, they are expressed for all the good things during the year that is ending, so that they will continue in the new year.
Mexicans celebrate with a late-night dinner with their families, the traditional meal being turkey or pork loin. Afterwards many people attend parties outside the home, for example, in night clubs. In Mexico City there is a street festival on New Year's Eve centered on the Zocalo, the city's main square. Celebrations include firecrackers, fireworks and sparklers and shouts of "¡Feliz Año Nuevo!”
Panama
For New Year's Eve, Panama usually celebrates with a dinner, followed by multiple individual fireworks celebrations. Fireworks begin around 11 p.m. for parties that last until 1 a.m. the next day. Many leave the city and go to the rural towns across the country, to celebrate with family and friends.
Suriname
During New Year's Eve in Suriname, the Surinamese population goes into cities' commercial districts to watch fireworks shows. This is a spectacle based on the famous red-firecracker-ribbons. The bigger stores invest in these firecrackers and display them in the streets. Every year the length of them is compared, and high praises are held for the company that has managed to import the largest ribbon. These celebrations start at 10 a.m. and finish the next day. The day is usually filled with laughter, dance, music and drinking. When the night starts, the big street parties are already at full capacity. The most popular fiesta is the one that is held at café 't Vat in the main tourist district. The parties stop between 10 and 11 p.m. after which the people go home to light their pagaras or red-firecracker-ribbons at midnight. After midnight, the parties continue, and the streets fill again until daybreak.
Trinidad and Tobago
In Port of Spain the tradition is to celebrate in one's yard with friends, family and neighbors, and eat and drink till sunrise. At midnight the city becomes festive with fireworks in every direction. The celebration only starts at midnight. Music is heard from all the houses and bars, nightclubs, street parties and Soca raves. The people are celebrating not only the new year but the beginning of the carnival season as well.
Venezuela
Radio specials give a countdown and announce the New Year. In Caracas, the bells of the Cathedral of Caracas ring 12 times. During these special programs, it is a tradition to broadcast songs about the end of the year. It is a non-working holiday. Popular songs include "Viejo año" or "Old year" by Gaita group Maracaibo 15 and "Cinco pa' las 12" or "Five minutes before 12" which was versioned by several popular singers including Nestor Zavarce, Nancy Ramos and José Luis Rodríguez or El Puma — Cougar. The unofficial hymn for the first minutes of the New Year is "Año Nuevo, Vida Nueva" or "New Year, New Life" by the band Billo's Caracas Boys. Many people play the national anthem in their houses.
Traditions include wearing yellow underwear and eating pan de jamón and 12 grapes with sparkling wine. Special holiday programs are broadcast on Venezuelan television stations including Venevision.
Asia
Bangladesh
The New Year celebrations take place in all around the country mostly in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshai, Khulna, Barishal, Cox’s Bazar, etc. The celebrations mostly take place at night. On this day, people go to the parties at club or hotels, beaches, at the crowdy roadsides and bridges where firecrackers are blast out in the sky at night. The roadsides and bridges are also lighted up by colorful lights at night. People do a get-together as well as enjoy with their families. That day, Cox’s Bazar becomes a popular tourist destination for both Bangladeshi and foreign tourists.
Music, songs and dances are organized in the auditoriums, hotels, beaches and as well as in the grounds which are shown live concert on TV where many Dhallywood celebrities — along with many personalities — participate in the dance, music, songs and often drama to liven up the concert more. Sometimes marriages and weddings take place in the clubs on the night of December 31, so that the people can enjoy more. People also enjoy the New Year's Eve with their families, relatives and friends in the ships and yachts, especially in the sea while going to Saint Martin where DJs liven up their night through their music and songs.
The Muslims during the year's last Jumma prayer of mosque permanently pray a Munajat — which is done all over the mosques of the country — so that Allah may bless them and the coming year can be fruitful. Hindus organize a Puja so that the coming year can be fruitful for them. The Christians go to the churches for a watch night service till midnight, praying for blessing in the coming new year as it is also part of the Christmastide season observances.
China
In China, although the celebrations of the Lunar New Year are not until a few weeks after the Gregorian New Year, celebrations of the Gregorian New Year are held in some areas, particularly in major cities. For example, celebrations with fireworks and rock concerts have taken place in Beijing's Solana Blue Harbor Shopping Park, while cultural shows and other events are held at the city's Millennium Monument, Temple of Heaven, Great Wall of China, Olympic Green and the Summer Palace. Since 2011, a light and sound show has been held at The Bund in Shanghai, a few minutes before midnight.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, many gather in shopping districts like Central, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui. Beginning in 2008, a 60-second numerical countdown to New Year's, consisting of LED lights and pyrotechnic display effects, on the facade of Two International Finance Centre was launched, followed by a fireworks display, alongside an exhibition of the Symphony of Lights. For the arrival of 2013, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre initiated the countdown, while the fireworks display and A Symphony of Lights show were extended to eight minutes.
Shopping malls are often major celebration venues. The Times Square shopping mall, for instance, holds their own celebration of the ball drop held at Times Square, New York City. There are also various district-wide celebrations.
Central Asia
In Central Asia, New Year's Eve celebrations were inherited from Soviet traditions; thus they are similar to those of Russia. An example of such traditions would be the playing of the national anthem at midnight and the presidential address before it.
India
In India as a land of diverse cultures and practices, apart from the Gregorian new year, there are Parsi New Year, Hindu New Year — which might differ from region to region, Muslim New Year, etc. Celebration for culture-specific New Year’s is different from the celebrations of the Gregorian new year. Gregorian new year celebration is mostly by way of late-night parties and a working holiday followed by it. Most celebrations for December 31 take place in the major metropolitan cities like Kochi, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Visakhapatnam and Ahmedabad. New Year is also celebrated in other cities and towns around the country like Agra, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Cuttack, Vadodara and Vijayawada. There are many shows, events, awards and parties organized all over India. Big and small celebrities and personalities perform in — as well as enjoy — these parties. Many discos and pubs organize big singers, DJs or local talent to liven up the night with their music and songs. Goa and Kerala are the most visited destinations during New Year celebrations both by Indian and foreign tourists.
Major events like live concerts and dances by film and music stars are also organized and attended mostly by youngsters. More often people like to celebrate New Year’s Eve with their family. Hotels and resorts are also decked out in anticipation of tourist arrival, and intense competition makes them entice the tourists with exciting New Year offers. Many people across the country also follow old traditions. The Christian community often go to church for a watch night service till midnight praying for blessing in the coming new year.
Japan
In Japan, New Year's Eve is used to prepare for and welcome Toshigami, the New Year's god. People clean their homes and prepare Kadomatsu or Shimenawa to welcome the god before New Year's Eve. Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight in the traditional Joya no Kane. The rings represent the 108 elements of bonō, mental states that lead people to take unwholesome actions.
In most cities and urban areas across Japan, New Year's Eve celebrations are usually accompanied by concerts, countdowns, fireworks and other events. In Toyko, the two most crowded celebrations are held at the Shibuya crossing in Shibuya and the Zojoji Temple in Minato. People gather around the Zojoji Temple to release helium balloons with New Year's wishes up in the sky and watch the lighting of Toyko Tower and Toyko Skytree with a year number displayed on the observatory at the stroke of midnight.
Three notable music-oriented television specials air near New Year's Eve. Since 1951, NHK has traditionally broadcast “Kōhaku Uta Gassen” or “Red/White Singing Battle” on New Year's Eve, a music competition where two teams of popular musicians — the red and white teams, which predominantly contain female and male performers respectively — perform songs, with the winning team determined by a panel of judges, audience members at the NHK Hall and televotes. The special is traditionally one of the most-watched television programs of the year in Japan. Although it did air on December 31 from 1959 to 2006, the Japan Record Awards ceremony, recognizing outstanding achievements in the Japanese music industry, is held annually on December 30 since 2007 and is broadcast by TBS. Since 1996, Fuji Television has broadcast “Johnny’s Countdown” — a live concert at the Toyko Dome organized by the talent agency Johnny & Associates. A newer tradition on New Year's Eve is mixed martial arts: promotions such as Pride Fighting Championships, DREAM, K-1 and now Rizin have hosted a large event each New Year's Eve at Saitama Super Arena since 2001. This card features highly anticipated or title fights and even special attractions such as Rizin's 2018 NYE card, which had as its main event an exhibition between kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa and American boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Korea
There are two New Year’s celebrated in both North and South Korea, which are Lunar New Year and Solar New Year. The Solar New Year is always celebrated on the first day of January while Lunar New Year varies. Sometimes, there are some traits that both North and South Korea celebrate, while some traits are celebrated differently or only on one side.
In both Koreas, they call New Year's Day Seoll-Nal. They eat a special soup called Tteokguk which is a hot soup with thin, flat rice cakes and most of the time, eggs are inserted. The Koreans believe that one would get to earn one age if the soup is eaten New Year's Day. They say if one dares to not eat the soup on New Year's Day, then he or she will lose luck.
Most cities and urban areas in both Koreas host New Year's Eve gatherings. In South Korea, two of the biggest celebrations take place in Seoul: the ringing of the Bosingak bell 33 times at midnight and fireworks display at Myeong-dong, and an LED laser light show and fireworks display at the Lotte World Tower in Songpa-gu. In Pyongyang, North Korea, the chimes of the clock at the Grand People's Study House and the national fireworks display along Kim II-sung Square, Juche Tower and the surrounding areas signal the start of the New Year. The celebration in Pyongyang, however, also marks the beginning of the North Korean calendar or the Juche Year, which is based on 15 April 1912, Kim II-sung's date of birth. The celebrations are more recent in origin with the fireworks displays dating from 2013.
For 2018-19, Kim Il-sung Square held its first large-scale public celebration, which featured a concert performance by the state Moranbong Band, midnight firework, and a drone light show.
On television, KBS and SBS held its annual drama awards shows to honor the best drama programs throughout the year.
Malaysia
Ambang Tahun Baru, a celebration sponsored by the government was held at Merdeka Square, the field opposite the Sultan Abdul Samad Building in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur in the early days. The event was broadcast live on government as well as private TV stations at those times. Countdown is now broadcast live on government televisions from Putrajaya and the broadcasting centre where the concert is held and fireworks are displayed at Petronas Towers.
There are New Year countdown parties in major cities such as George Town, Shah Alam and Kuching, typically organized by the private sector in these cities.
Mongolia
Mongolians began celebrating the Gregorian New Year in the Socialist period, with influence from the former Soviet Union. As a modern tradition, New Year's Eve as well as New Year's Day are public holidays and are two of the biggest holidays of the year. They celebrate New Year's Eve with their family. It is common — just like in the former Soviet Union — that the national anthem of Mongolia is to be played at the midnight hour on television.
Pakistan
New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with fireworks in big cities e.g., Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. Musical nights and concerts are also held. Many Pakistani youngsters enjoy the type of celebrations that are held all over the world. The elite and educated classes participate in night-long activities in urban and cosmopolitan cities like Karachi, Lahore and the capital of Islamabad.
Philippines
In the Phlippines, New Year's Eve is a special non-working holiday. Filipinos usually celebrate New Year's Eve in the company of family or close friends. Traditionally, most households would visit churches and attend year-end services and afterwards, would host or attend a midnight feast called the Media Noche. Typical dishes included holiday fare, pancit or noodles for long life and jamón, Spanish dry-cured ham. Lechon or roasted pig is usually prepared, as is barbecued food. Some refrain from serving chicken, as their scratching and pecking for food is unlucky, being an idiom for a hand-to-mouth existence.
Many opt to wear new, bright, or colorful clothes with circular patterns, such as polka dots, or display sweets and 12 round fruits as the centerpiece, in the belief that circles attract money and fortune and that candies represent a sweeter year ahead. Several customs must only be done at midnight: some throw about coins to increase wealth in the coming year or jump to increase their height, while some follow the Spanish custom of eating 12 grapes, one for each month of the year. People also make loud noises by blowing on cardboard or plastic horns called torotot, bang on pots and pans, play loud music, blow car horns or ignite firecrackers, in the belief that the din scares away bad luck and evil spirits. Bamboo cannons are also fired in some places.
Urban areas usually host many New Year's Eve parties and countdown celebrations hosted by the private sector with the help of the local government. These parties — which include balls hosted by hotels — usually display their own fireworks and are often very well-attended. Within Metro Manila, popular locations for celebrations include the area along Manila Bay at Roxas Boulevard or Luneta Park in Manila, the intersection of Ayala and Makati Avenues. In Makati City, Resorts World Manila and SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, Quezon Memorial Circle in Diliman and Eastwood City in Libis, Quezon City, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City, Entertainment City in Parañaque City and the Philippine Arena at Ciudad de Victoria in Bocaue and Santa Maria, Bulacan. Fireworks displays are also held in select cities in the regions.
Singapore
New Year's celebrations in the city-state of Singapore are centered upon Marina Bay, which hosts a midnight fireworks show organized by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The Float @Marina Bay serves as the focal point of the event, with its ticketed grandstands and nearby buildings — such as hotels — being the most sought-after viewing locations for the show. For the 2018/19 and 2019/20 editions, the fireworks have been produced by Star Island — an Avex Group-owned production that combines the fireworks with a large light show and other elements, where in the 2019/20 edition, the production included a synchronized drone show. Broadcaster Mediacorp organizes a televised concert at The Promontory. Smaller, local celebrations are also held outside of the downtown core.
Taiwan
The most prominent New Year's event in Taiwan is a major fireworks show launched from the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei. In 2018, the show was enhanced by the installation of a new LED display system on the north face of the tower between its 35th and 90th floors, which can be used to display digital animation effects. This change countered a reduction in the number of firework shells launched during the show, as part of an effort to produce less pollution.
Thailand
Aside from the traditional Thai New Year called Songkran (Thailand) which falls on April 13 or April 14, Thais also celebrate the arrival of the Gregorian New Year on January 1 with their families, relatives and friends, which includes a family dinner and following different customs. It is a public holiday. In most cities and urban areas across Thailand, New Year's Eve celebrations are accompanied by countdowns, fireworks, concerts and other major events, notably, the CentralWorld Square at CentralWorld and the area along Chao Phraya River at ICONSIAM and Asiatique in Bangkok, and the Pattaya Beach in Pattaya, while public places such as hotels, pubs, restaurants and nightclubs, also host New Year's Eve parties by offering food, entertainment and music to the guests, and they usually stay open until the next morning.
Europe
Albania
Preparations for New Year's Eve in Albania start with the Christmas tree, which in Albania is known as "New Year's Tree" or "New Year's Pine." At midnight, everyone toasts and greets each other and fireworks are lit.
Austria
In Austria, New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with friends and family. At exactly midnight, all radio and television programs operated by ORF broadcast the sound of the Pummerin, the bell of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, followed by the Donauwalzer or "The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss II. Many people dance to this at parties or in the street. Large crowds gather in the streets of Vienna, where the municipal government organizes a series of stages where bands and orchestras play. Fireworks are set off by both municipal governments and individuals.
Belgium
In Belgium, New Year's Eve is celebrated with family parties, called réveillons in the French-speaking areas. On television, a stand-up comedian reviews the past year after which a musical or variety show signals midnight, when everyone kisses, exchanges good luck greetings and toasts the New Year and absent relatives and friends with champagne. Many people light fireworks or go into the street to watch them. Most cities have their own fireworks display: the most famous is at Mont des Arts in Brussels. Cities, cafés and restaurants are crowded. Free bus services and special New Year's Eve taxis bring everyone home afterwards.
On January 1 children read their "New Year's letter" and give holiday greeting cards of decorated paper featuring golden cherubs and angels, colored roses and ribbon-tied garlands to parents and godparents. Belgian farmers also wish their animals a happy New Year.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
New Year is widely celebrated in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Streets are decorated for New Year's Eve and there is a fireworks show and concerts in all the larger cities. Restaurants, clubs, cafes and hotels are usually full of guests and they organize New Year's Eve parties.
In Sarajevo, people gather in the Children of Sarajevo Square where a local rock band entertains them. Several trumpet and rock groups play until the early morning hours. At midnight there is a big fireworks show.
Czech Republic/Slovakia
New Year's Eve celebrations and traditions in Czech Republic and Slovakia are very similar. New Year's Eve is the noisiest day of the year. People generally gather with friends at parties, in pubs, clubs, in the streets, or city squares to eat, drink and celebrate the new year. Fireworks are a popular tradition; in large cities such as Bratislava or Prague, the fireworks start before noon and steadily increase until midnight. In the first minutes after midnight, people toast with champagne, wish each other a happy new year, fortune and health, and go outside for the fireworks.
In both countries all major TV stations air entertainment shows before and after the midnight countdown, which is followed by the national anthem of each country. The presidents of the republics gave their New Year speeches in the morning; the new Czech President Miloš Zeman renewed the tradition of Christmas speeches. In recent years however the Czechoslovak national anthem is played at midnight, in honor of the shared history of both nations.
Denmark
People in Denmark may go to parties or entertain guests at home. There is a special evening meal that concludes with Kransekage, a special dessert, along with champagne. Other traditional dishes are boiled cod, stewed kale and cured saddle of pork. However, expensive cuts of beef as well as sushi have become increasingly popular.
Multiple significant traditional events are broadcast on television and radio on December 31. This includes, but is not limited to:
The monarch's New Year message from Amalienborg Palace at 18:00 and the Town Hall Clock in Copenhagen striking midnight. Thousands of people gather together in Rådhuspladsen or the Town Hall Square and cheer.
The Royal Guard parade in their red gala uniforms. The climax of the celebration is fireworks launched as the Town Hall Tower bells chime on the stroke of midnight. After midnight, all radio & television stations play: "Vær velkommen, Herrens år" or the Danish new year's hymn and followed by "Kong Christian stod ved højen mast" or the Danish Royal Anthem and "Der er et yndigt land" or the Danish National Anthem.
Like in the surrounding nations, the German comedy sketch “Dinner for One” is broadcast every year at 23:45, and ends just minutes before the new year. This has been a tradition every year since 1980 except in 1985. Another reoccurring broadcast is the 1968 film “The Party” which is aired after midnight on January 1.
Estonia
To celebrate New Year's Eve in Estonia, people decorate villages, visit friends and prepare lavish meals. Some believe that people should eat seven, nine or 12 times on New Year's Eve. These are lucky numbers in Estonia; it is believed that for each meal consumed, the person gains the strength of that many men the following year. Meals should not be completely finished — some food should be left for ancestors and spirits who visit the house on New Year's Eve.
Traditional New Year food includes pork with sauerkraut or Estonian sauerkraut, baked potatoes and swedes with hog's head, and white and blood sausage. Vegetarians can eat potato salad with navy beet and pâté. Gingerbread and marzipan are very popular for dessert. Traditional New Year’s drinks include beer and mead, but mulled wine and champagne have become modern favorites.
Finland
In Finland, New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with family or friends. Late supper is served, often featuring wieners, Janssons frestelse and potato salad. Some municipalities organize fireworks at midnight. Consumer fireworks are also very popular. A Finnish tradition is molybdomancy — to tell the fortunes of the New Year by melting "tin" — actually lead — in a tiny pan on the stove and throwing it quickly in a bucket of cold water. The resulting blob of metal is analyzed, for example by interpreting shadows it casts by candlelight. These predictions are however never taken seriously.
The Finnish Broadcasting Company broadcasts the reception of the New Year at Helsinki Senate Square. Countdown to New Year is with the Helsinki Cathedral clock. In the afternoon program, the German comedy sketch “Dinner for One” is shown every year. On the radio, just before midnight, the poem Hymyilevä Apollo or Smiling Apollo by Eino Leino is read.
France
In France, New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with a feast, le Réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre. This feast customarily includes special dishes including foi gras, seafood such as oysters and champagne. The celebration can be a simple, intimate dinner with friends and family or une soirée dansante, a much fancier ball.
On New Year's Day friends and family exchange New Year’s resolutions, kisses and wishes. Some people eat ice cream.
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