You never have to miss out on celebrating the New Year—in fact, you could run around the world visiting countries that hold New Year celebrations other than on the eve of 31st December and 1st January.
The first record of the New Year being a time for celebration is around 2000BC in Mesopotamia when the Babylonians held a religious festival for 11 days at the end of March, believing that Marduk, their sky god, defeated the evil sea goddess, Tiamat. Celebrating 1st January stems from 46 BC when the solar-based Julian calendar was created by Julius Caesar in honor of the two-faced Roman God, Janus—he could go back in the past and move into the future—there were sacrifices to gods and laurel branches used for decorations. Pope Gregory XIII implemented The Gregorian calendar in Rome towards the end of 1582. It became the most adopted calendar throughout the world.
The New Year has been woo-hoo party time for ages!
Spain will have you eating 12 grapes to the ringing of 12 bells while supposedly wearing red underwear for good luck, while barrels of tar are put on fire and rolled down streets to the tune of 'Auld Lang Syne' in Scotland. The French gorge on a lavish New Year's Eve dinner of delicacies such as foie gras, escargot, and oysters while scoffing champagne, and the Italians party all night, only sleeping once they have witnessed the new year's first sunrise. Australians sip bubbles or down beers at barbeques of prawns then play cricket on the beach or in their backyards, there's plenty of kissing and champagne in Hungary and Denmark where throwing old crockery against the door of your neighbor brings good luck—the size of the smashed crockery pile on your doorstep determines how many friends you have! Greece, Mexico, and the Netherlands eat 'good luck food'—round cakes stuffed with coins and trinkets to symbolize the circle of life. At the same time, Austria, Cuba, and Portugal get stuck into pork as pig symbolizes prosperity.
If you love New Year traditions and celebrations and want to experience it more than once a year, head to one or all of the countries below that dance to a different time clock as they follow lunar, solar, and other hybrid calendars.
China
With 15 days of celebrations, the Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year as the country follows the lunar calendar. In 2024, the Year of the Dragon, the new year festivities begin on 10th February. It's the time to paint your home's front door bright red, clean the house, pay off any pesky debts, and then go and splurge on new clothes to wear, preferably in the shade of red for prosperity. Like many countries, it's the time to hang out with the family while eating and drinking. The celebration includes the traditions of gifting red envelopes of money, lighting red lanterns and firecrackers, lions and dragons strutting in parades, and people walking on stilts in northern China.
Korea
From hiding shoes—it's believed that if a person can't find their boots, ghosts have taken them and bad luck will follow that person—to hanging bamboo strainers on house walls to catch good luck: the Koreans celebrate the new year based on the roots of Chinese Confucianism. The first day of the Korean lunar calendar, 10th February 2024, is when the party will take place and will last 3 days. It's a time for giving pressies and playing games—the traditional 'Yut Nori' board game, men fly kites, and females jump on a board playing see-saw named ‘neol ddwigi.' Like all cultures, food is important in the New Year celebration, and Korea is no different. They dig into a starchy rice cake soup, 'Tteokguk,' and then take a deep bow called 'sebae’—a New Year’s bow.
Sri Lanka
14th April is when the revelry happens in Sri Lanka, with festivities beginning on the eve of the 13th. The Sinhalese New Year is known as Aluth Avurudda. It marks the end of the harvest season and honors the God of the Sun. It's the day to keep your door open for friends, relatives, and ad hoc strangers wishing to partake of sumptuous food and light a few firecrackers. Rituals and customs play an essential part beginning with the lighting of the hearth to prepare the first meal of the new year—milk rice. People come together in a big party atmosphere when dancing, playing drums, games such as 'placing the eye on the elephant' (instead of the tail on the donkey), pillow fights, climbing the greasy pole, or breaking pots ensue after scoffing mountains of food. Sweet tooth souls get a sugar fix with the traditional goodies of deep-fried fluffy cakes made of coconut milk and rice flour or a crunchy sweet dribbled with caramel syrup.
India
It's a tad confusing when to celebrate the near year in India as celebrations do occur on 1st January, but every state in India celebrates on a different date as per their local calendar. It's known by other names, and some southern states celebrate on the 6th of April, while in the Maharashtra state, it's on the 14th of April. Then, there is the Hindu New Year, Diwali, the festival of lights, also celebrated by Jains and Sikhs—the date determined by the moon's position. It represents the 'victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance', which lasts 5 days—in 2024, it will be from 29th October to 3rd November and generally falls anywhere between October and November each year. Houses are decorated with oil lamps and lights, believing it will bring prosperity. Families get together, sweets are stuffed into mouths, gifts are given, fireworks light up the sky, homes are cleaned, and new clothes must be worn. The highlight is the traditional drawing of colorful patterns with powders decorated with flowers at the doorway of family homes.
Around the World
UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other GCC countries celebrate according to the Islamic Calendar which will fall in July. The Balinese New Year 'Nyepi' or 'Day of Silence' will take place on 11th March 2024 as it follows the Saka New Year calendar. On Nyepi eve, the Ogoh Ogoh parade takes place, but then from 6am on the 11th, you can't make a noise, even the airport is closed—you don't want the evil spirits to know where you are.
There are many options to travel the world chasing the new year if you aren't content with experiencing just one!
Gail Palethorpe, a self proclaimed Australian gypsy, is a freelance writer, photographer and eternal traveller. Check out her website Gail Palethorpe Photography and her Shutterstock profile.
