FANTASTIC firework displays have become synonymous with New Year celebrations around the world.
As the clock ticks down to the start of the new year many find themselves looking out for seeing the spectacular displays put on by other countries before turning their attention to the banks of the river Thames and the skies across London.
In many countries the stunning firework displays are a new addition to celebrations and many traditions still remain in place.
Just across the border in Scotland they celebrate Hogmanay.
This is celebrated with several different customs, such as first-footing, which involves friends or family members going to each other’s houses with a gift of whisky and sometimes a lump of coal.
Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, hosts one of the world’s most famous New Year celebrations.
The celebration is focused on a major street party along Princes Street. The cannon is fired at Edinburgh Castle at the stroke of midnight, followed by a large fireworks display.
There is also a Hogmanay festival and the country has a bank holiday on January 2.
In Japan New Year’s Eve is used to prepare for and welcome Toshigami, the New Year’s god.
The Japanese clean their homes and prepare Kadomatsu or Shimenawa to welcome the god before New Year’s Eve.
Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight in the traditional Joya no Kane.
The rings represent the 108 elements of bonō, mental states that lead Japanese to take unwholesome actions.
New Year’s Eve in Colombia is a vibrant and diverse celebration, blending traditions, superstitions, and family customs to welcome the upcoming year with positivity and hope.
New Year’s Eve is a time for personal gatherings and community revelry. Many Colombians host house parties, where friends and family come together to share in the festivities.
In the tranquil countryside, communities come alive with vibrant street-party-style celebrations.
A hallmark tradition involves the creation of El Año Viejo, a scarecrow symbolizing the old year, which is placed atop a bonfire filled with fireworks and as the effigy burns, it signifies the cleansing of the past and welcoming new beginnings.Colombia’s New Year’s customs are steeped in superstitions and age-old traditions, each carrying its own symbolism and significance.
In Spain they eat grapes at the stroke of midnight.
Tradition has it that people have to eat them one by one, in time with the striking of the clock at midnight on December 31.
Those who manage to eat all the grapes in time, are said to be in for a year of prosperity and good luck.
In many towns and villages people go to a central square or an iconic place where there is a large clock, to eat the grapes together and share the last minutes of the old year.
