By Itsarin Tisantia
For many people, the New Year is a time for new beginnings. It is also a special holiday for family members to get together, even if it means travelling a long way back to their hometowns.
Read this week’s exercise to learn about traditional New Year festivities around the world.
The New Year for most countries in the world falls on January 1, based on the Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar.
Although celebrations take place on the same day, there are a wide variety of traditions that differentiate celebrations in different parts of the world.
NOISY PARTIES
Where there are celebrations, there is usually music and noise as well. Apart from music and traditional songs played during the New Year, many countries have their own ways to make noise as a way to celebrate.
In the US, many people blow whistles and paper blowers during New Year’s Eve.
Years ago in Thailand, guns were often fired on New Year’s Eve to frighten off demons. Nowadays, like in many other Asian countries, firecrackers are used in Thailand instead of guns.
LUCKY FOODS
Americans believe that black-eyed beans bring luck, while the Scottish enjoy a type of break known locally as bannock during the New Year period.
Spanish people eat 12 grapes, according to a traditional belief known as the Twelve Grapes of Luck. In Switzerland, people believe that dollops of whipped cream symbolise the richness of the year to come. Swiss people drop the whipped cream on the floors and allow them to remain there for a certain period of time.
In the Netherlands, ring-shaped foods such as a donuts symbolise good fortune. In India Pakistan, rice is used to represent prosperity.
Exercises
Read through the story. Then, decide whether the following statements are true or false.
1. Rice represents prosperity in India and Pakistan.
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2. Guns used to be fired to frighten off demons in Spain.
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3. The New Year for most countries falls on January 1.
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4. Square-shaped food is believed to bring good fortune in the Netherlands.
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Vocabulary
- blower (n): a whistle, usually made of plastic, that produces a loud noise
dollop (v): a lump of soft food, often dropped from a spoon
prosperity (n): the state of being successful, especially financially
