E-Concussion

Taiwan

Many people in Taiwan celebrate the end of the year with concerts in most of the cities and recently using a big screen on the stage to communicate with cities around the island by shouting Happy New Year to each other. The most crowded city is the capital Taipei where most people gather around Taipei 101 located in the shopping and financial area. People gather around the roads around Taipei 101 and together they shout from 10 to 0. With each number they count, one of the layers of Taipei 101 (eight floors per layer) lights up until 0, the fireworks shoot out from the top of each layer (eight layers excluding a layer under the antenna) in different directions.

Spain

Spanish New Year's Eve (Nochevieja or Fin de Año in Spanish, Cap d'Any in Catalan) celebrations usually begin with a family dinner, traditionally including shrimp and lamb or turkey. Spanish tradition says that wearing red underwear on New Year's Eve brings good luck. The actual countdown is primarily followed from the clock on top of the Casa de Correos building in Puerta del Sol square in Madrid (馬德里太陽門廣場). It is traditional to eat twelve grapes, one on each chime of the clock. This tradition has its origins in 1909, when grape growers in Alicante thought of it as a way to cut down on the large production surplus they had had that year. Nowadays, the tradition is followed by almost every Spaniard, and the twelve grapes have become synonymous with the New Year. After the clock has finished striking twelve, people greet each other and toast with sparkling wine such as cava or champagne, or alternatively with cider.

After the family dinner and the grapes, many young people attend New Year parties at pubs, discotheques and similar places (these parties are called cotillones de nochevieja, after the Spanish word cotillón, which refers to party supplies like confetti, party blowers, party hats, etc.). Parties usually last until the next morning and range from small, personal celebrations at local bars to huge parties with guests numbering the thousands at hotel convention rooms. Early next morning, party attendees usually gather to have the traditional winter breakfast of chocolate con churros (hot chocolate and fried pastry).

United States

In the United States, New Year's Eve is a major social holiday. One of the top destination cities for New Year's Eve from 2003 to 2006 has been New York. Las Vegas is also attracting a large number of New Year's Eve party goers with the famous Las Vegas strip (拉斯維加斯大道) being closed to vehicles and buses.

In the past 100 years the “ball dropping” (降球儀式) on top of One Times Square in New York City, broadcast to all of America (and rebroadcast in many other countries), is 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 11:59:00pm and reaching the bottom of its tower 60 seconds later, at the stroke of midnight (12:00:00am). This is repeated for all four time zones in the continental US. It is sometimes referred to as "the big apple" like the city itself; the custom derives from the time signal that used to be given at noon in harbors.

From 1981 to 1988, New York City dropped an enlarged apple in recognition of its nickname.

Germany

Germans call New Year's Eve Silvester. Since 1972, each New Year's Eve, several German television stations broadcast a short English theatrical performance titled Dinner for One. A punch line from the comedy sketch, "same procedure as every year", has become a catch phrase in Germany. Every year Berlin hosts one of the largest New Year's Eve celebrations in all of Europe which is attended by over a million people. The focal point is the Brandenburg Gate and the fireworks at midnight centered around that location. Germans have a reputation of spending large amounts of money on firecrackers and fireworks.

Italy

Italians call New Year's Eve Capodanno or Notte di San Silvestro. Tradition provides a set of rituals for the new year, as dress red underwear or get rid of old or unused items (this one is almost dropped).

Dinner, taken with parents and friend, uses to include zampone or cotechino (kind of spiced Italian sausage) and lentils. At half past eight pm, The President of the Republic reads the television message of greetings to Italians.

At midnight strike, fireworks are displayed across whole Italy.

Japan

The day is a preparation day to welcome toshigami (年神), new year's god. Therefore, traditionally, people clean their home and prepare Kadomatsu (門松, gate pine) and/or Shimenawa (標繩, 注連繩, 七五三繩, Shimenawa, enclosing rope) to welcome the god before New Year's Eve.

Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times on midnight, during 31 December to 1 January. These bell rings are called as joya no kane (除夜の鐘) in Japanese which means "bell rings on new year eve's night." Each bell rings represent 108 elements of bonnō (煩悩), defilements, or Kilesa in Sanskrit, which is said people have in their mind. The bells are rung to repent 108 of the bonnō.

On TV, the Red and White Year-end Song Festival is an over 50-year-old tradition involving a singing contest between male and female teams of celebrity singers.

India

Most celebrations take place in the larger cities of India like Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Events such as, sporting contests and mules races, live concerts and dances by bollywood stars. Families often get together to celebrate the New Year.

Australia

Each major city around Australia holds New Year’s Eve celebrations, usually accompanied by a fireworks display amongst other events. Gloucester Park, a racecourse in central Perth, is the largest and most recognised display in Perth. In Brisbane 50,000 people annually gather at sites around the Brisbane River in the city to watch a fireworks display while events are held in the city and at Southbank.

The two largest New Year's Eve celebrations in Australia are held in its two largest cities, Melbourne(墨爾本) and Sydney. In Sydney the celebrations are usually accompanied by a theme which is displayed in light shows and a large symbol in the middle of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Over 1.5 million people gathered around Port Jackson. Sydney attendance of 2 million people. The fireworks display last from 15 to 25 minutes and is followed by music shows set on several stages throughout the beach.

As one of the first major New Year's celebrations each year (due to time zones), Sydney's fireworks display is often broadcast throughout the world during the day of December 31.

Canada

In Canada, New Year's traditions and celebrations vary from region to region. Generally, New Year's Eve (also known as New Year's Eve Day) in Canada is a social holiday. In major metropolitan areas such as Toronto and Montreal, major celebrations with music and fireworks are often held at Midnight. Other common New Year's Eve celebrations such as late-night partying are also major events in these cities and other places around Canada. In some areas, such as in rural Quebec, people ice fish and drink with their friends until the early hours of January 1. Celebrations are also similar to neighboring United States. Traditions from other countries are also common due to Canada's cultural makeup.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year’s_Eve

Please check the link for more information of New Year’s Eve celebrations in other countries.

Vocabularies:

chime [n]: the bell ring

Spaniard [n]: people in Spain

Spanish [a]: of Spaniard; of Spain

synonymous [a]: having the same meaning

toast [v]: to drink wine and thank someone, wish someone luck, or celebrate something

cava [n]: a kind of plant

discotheque [n]: a place to dance

in recognition of: public respect and thanks for someone’s work or achievements

punch line: good and interesting sentence, powerful sentence

sketch [n]: a short humorous scene on TV program

catch phrase: a short well-known phrase made popular by an entertainer or politician

focal point: the thing you pay most attention to

lentil [n]: 扁豆

defilement [n]: making something less pure, especially by showing no respect

Sanskrit [n]: 梵文

repent [v]: to regret, to be sorry for something and wish you had not done it

mule [n]: an animal that has a donkey and horse as parents

rural [a]: relating to countryside

ice fish [v]: catch fish through a hole in the ice on a lake of river

makeup [n]: quality, character