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    #1

    New Year's Customs

    As it is almost 2012; an hour from now for me, I thought it would be nice to start a thread about New Year's customs. Are there any special things people do in your area on New Year's, such as first footing? Or a family tradition you always observe? Maybe there is something connected to your religion that you do each year? I'm interested in collecting a few things together in my bos and would love to compare traditions between different areas and countries.

    Oh and I promise I have friends. I am just at work tonight.
    夕方に急なにわか雨は｢夕立」と呼ばれるなら、なぜ朝ににわか雨は｢朝立ち」と呼ばれないの？ ＾＾If a sudden rain shower in the evening is referred to as an 'evening stand', then why isn't a shower in the morning called 'morning stand'?
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    #2
    Re: New Year's Customs

    We don't do much, but we let the kids stay up as long as they wanted, which was a huge treat.

    If I lived someplace with an Asian market, we'd probably have some fun treats.
    Great Grandmother's Kitchen

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      #3
      Re: New Year's Customs

      Until I moved out of state, I'd spend New Year's with my husband's family - we'd make pigs-in-a-blanket, as well as other delicious finger foods, then sit around and watch movies until the ball dropped in Times Square. This year, though, we ended up spending the evening at a friend's house.

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        #4
        Re: New Year's Customs

        My Grandmother is Japanese, so on New Year's day we have a big dinner of traditional Japanese foods - sushi, udon, gyoza, oden and some other dishes. Of course we also stay up the night before and have champagne as we watch the ball drop in Times Square, too.

        When my fiance and I lived away from our families, on New Year's eve we had a frozen pizza, mozzarella sticks, chicken wings, cinnamon buns, and all sorts of bad for us food. And we'd play Monopoly all night, sometimes with some Scrabble or Boggle.
        Hearth and Hedge

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          #5
          Re: New Year's Customs

          Thanks everyone.

          Does anyone follow the 'first foot' custom? I'm interested to know if this is just a UK thing or not. My boyfriend was going to be ours this year but.. well.

          Is 'old lang syne' at midnight universal?

          I'm not sure where this came from, but in my family, we try to remember the first dream we had in the new year and tell one another. Apparently this tells you how your year will be (mine involved work so.. yawn), and we also say that how you see in the year, indicates how the year will be. I hope this is just an old wives' tale because I spent the night in Accidents and Emergencies.

          Ooh Gardenia, you lucky thing!! Urayamashii. I'd LOVE to eat yummy Japanese treats every new year. My Japanese friends used to send me pretty sweets in the shape of the zodiac animal of the year, but we hardly ever write or post gifts to each other these days. I always seem to drop the ball when it comes to keeping in touch. Maybe I should re-initiate this contact.
          夕方に急なにわか雨は｢夕立」と呼ばれるなら、なぜ朝ににわか雨は｢朝立ち」と呼ばれないの？ ＾＾If a sudden rain shower in the evening is referred to as an 'evening stand', then why isn't a shower in the morning called 'morning stand'?

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            #6
            Re: New Year's Customs

            I'd make what I'd call New Year's cookies when I had the resources. Basically I just throw a bunch of leftovers that taste good in a cookie together and bake them.
            my etsy store
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            "...leave me curled up in my ball,
            surrounded by plush, downy things,
            ill prepared, but willing,
            to descend."

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              #7
              Re: New Year's Customs

              We launched flaming hot air balloons at 1 am.

              It was amazing... I'm not sure how far away they were when we couln't see them any more, but it seemed like they traveled a long way pretty quickly.
              Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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                #8
                Re: New Year's Customs

                Originally posted by Jembru View Post
                Thanks everyone.

                Does anyone follow the 'first foot' custom? I'm interested to know if this is just a UK thing or not. My boyfriend was going to be ours this year but.. well.

                Is 'old lang syne' at midnight universal?
                I think they're both UK things. I can't speak for everywhere but back home in Canada no one sang it or did the foot thing, but most of my friends here are British and they do both. I don't know the words to Old Lang Syne and I'm the only one

                I usually get together with the same friends, and we drink and eat a lot and stay up really late. This year we went out for brunch (errr really huge burgers and wings lol) on New Years Day and that's definitely a tradition I'd like to repeat!

                And of course, there's the Berlin tradition of trying to not get blown up by fireworks :P
                Last edited by DanieMarie; 03 Jan 2012, 12:17.

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                  #9
                  Re: New Year's Customs

                  Both Uk things. I think first flooting is a more Scottish thing generally as well.

                  We did Hogmany, which is out New Year! Had fun x
                  "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me"- CS Lewis


                  https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyHagenART

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                    #10
                    Re: New Year's Customs

                    Actually, a lot of people in the US sing "Auld Lang Syne". It's not common in recent years, but it is part of custom.
                    my etsy store
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                    "...leave me curled up in my ball,
                    surrounded by plush, downy things,
                    ill prepared, but willing,
                    to descend."

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                      #11
                      Re: New Year's Customs

                      Originally posted by Caelia View Post
                      Actually, a lot of people in the US sing "Auld Lang Syne". It's not common in recent years, but it is part of custom.
                      I imagine that many people do in Canada is well.....mostly older people, because of the british roots in Canada, but where I'm from those roots aren't that strong (even though Victoria likes to think it's the "most British city in North America"....this is just because you get fish and chips and afternoon tea everywhere). Also growing up on Northern Vancouver Island, everyone is a 'mutt' lol, so traditions are really muddled. Everyone more or less does what they want and sort of does their own thing.

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                        #12
                        Re: New Year's Customs

                        Originally posted by DanieMarie View Post
                        I imagine that many people do in Canada is well.....mostly older people, because of the british roots in Canada, but where I'm from those roots aren't that strong (even though Victoria likes to think it's the "most British city in North America"....this is just because you get fish and chips and afternoon tea everywhere). Also growing up on Northern Vancouver Island, everyone is a 'mutt' lol, so traditions are really muddled. Everyone more or less does what they want and sort of does their own thing.
                        Yep, but I just wanted to clarify it wasn't just a UK thing
                        my etsy store
                        My blog


                        "...leave me curled up in my ball,
                        surrounded by plush, downy things,
                        ill prepared, but willing,
                        to descend."

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                          #13
                          Re: New Year's Customs

                          Auld lang syne is pretty common where I'm from...as is the ever popular river plunge (I've done the marina plunge several times).
                          Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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                            #14
                            Re: New Year's Customs

                            Ooooo at home lots of people do the 'polar bear swim', which means jumping in the ocean in costume (people go as groups often) on New Years Day.

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                              #15
                              Re: New Year's Customs

                              Thanks everyone! This has been a massive help. Where I live, everyone sings Auld Lang Syne. Even if you are out in a bar, this will be played at midnight.

                              I am not sure if everyone does the first foot thing, but in my family, and the families I have so far spent New Year's with, someone is always sent outside before midnight, to be the first foot. Some families make him carry cole, other's don't seem to bother. He's supposed to be young and dark haired too, although ours is often old and bald ^^

                              ---------- Post added at 01:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:09 AM ----------

                              Originally posted by DanieMarie View Post
                              Ooooo at home lots of people do the 'polar bear swim', which means jumping in the ocean in costume (people go as groups often) on New Years Day.
                              We do this on Boxing Day, but not dressed as anything specific. A lot of people dress in crazy costumes to do it though.
                              夕方に急なにわか雨は｢夕立」と呼ばれるなら、なぜ朝ににわか雨は｢朝立ち」と呼ばれないの？ ＾＾If a sudden rain shower in the evening is referred to as an 'evening stand', then why isn't a shower in the morning called 'morning stand'?

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