New Year’s Eve Around the World

New Year’s Eve is just a few days away. With so many choices as to how to bring it in, we thought we’d give you a few more by taking a look at what the rest of the world is doing.

In New Zealand, Gisborne is the first major city to see the beginning of the New Year. Cities celebrate this with large street parties and fireworks displays.

The two largest celebrations in Australia are held in its two largest cities; Sydney and Melbourne. Each year, the celebrations in Sydney are accompanied by a theme with two pyrotechnic shows; the 9pm Family Fireworks and the Midnight Fireworks. Centering on the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the fireworks are synchronized to a blend of popular music with a lighting display called the “Bridge Effect”, shown on the bridge itself displaying various symbols and other images related to the current year’s theme. The Midnight Fireworks are regularly watched by more than one million people at Sydney Harbor and are often regarded as the best in the world.

In Japan, the day is a preparation day to welcome toshigami (年神), the New Year’s god. Therefore, traditionally, people clean their home and prepare Kadomatsu and Shimenawa to welcome the god before New Year’s Eve.

In the U.K., clocks symbolize the transition that occurs at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, with the celebration in London focusing on the clock housed in the clock tower at the Palace of Westminster, recognized worldwide as “Big Ben”. The celebrations are televised from London by the BBC in the English regions, Wales, and Northern Ireland.  Parties are held up and down the country, in pubs, clubs and private houses.  At the stroke of midnight people gather in a ring with hands joined as they sing Auld Lang Syne.

Times Square is the focus of New York City’s celebrations.  New Year’s Eve is an occasion celebrated with elegant formal parties and family-oriented activities.  Since 1907, the “ball dropping” on top of One Times Square in New York City has been a major component of the New Year celebration. The 11,875-pound (5,386 kg), 12-foot (3.7 m) diameter Waterford crystal ball located high above Times Square is lowered, starting at 11:59:00 pm and reaches the bottom of its tower sixty seconds later, at the stroke of midnight.  After fifty seconds has passed, the crowd will count down the final ten seconds along with the hosts of various New Year’s Eve shows.  Similar ball drops are performed in many towns and cities across the United States. The custom derives from the time signal that used to be given at noon in harbors.

Wherever you are this New Year’s Eve, we hope that it’s a happy and healthy one.

Best wishes from all of us at Nautica.