New Year's Eve

The final day of the year is a cause for huge celebration in many places, particularly Scotland. Here, where it is called Hogmanay, the celebrations are famous the world over. The whole population seems to be involved in the celebrations, often attending one or more parties at which drinking, dancing and general merrymaking are the focus of the night.

Although it is dying out as a custom, in many parts of Scotland, particularly further North, a custom called "first footing" is still observed - see sidebar.

In many towns and cities people have traditionally gathered together in prominent places. In Edinburgh, this is Hunter Square, and in London, Trafalgar Square within earshot of Big Ben, where huge crowds would gather to enjoy the festivities. It became a tradition for revellers to frolic in the fountains surrounding Nelson’s column, but attempts have been made in recent years to limit access to the fountains, for Health and Safety (or some might say Killjoy) reasons.

Whether due to the influence of Scottish emigrants or for other reasons, in recent years, it seems that the whole world has entered into the spirit of the proceedings. This seems to have really taken hold at the time of the Millennium celebrations, and ever since, it seems that New Year has been added to the list of World Celebrations - and as it has no religious connotations it has some advantages over Christmas in this regard. All over the globe, there are huge televised events featuring people congregating to see out the old year and see in the new at the stroke of midnight, almost always with firework displays (with a great deal of rivalry for the unofficial accolade of "best display". On 31st December 2006, for example, it was possible to see the celebrations all over the South Pacific, in Australia, the Orient and the Middle East, as well as the festivities across Great Britain on UK television.

In recent times, the use of fireworks to enhance the night is becoming increasingly common, even in family groups and small parties. 2007 was greeted in Sydney, Australia with a huge firework display based around Sydney harbour and the Harbour Bridge. In London a 10-minute firework spectacular saw in the New Year, based around the London Eye and the River Thames.

If you're looking for a way to commemorate this event, you might be interested in this article: Commemorations with Cross Stitch

Web design by: TheWebsiteDesign.Co.UK

Copyright ©2010 TWSD Services, All rights reserved