On New Year's Day, London hosts one of the most popular fireworks events in the world.
Is New Year Day a Public Holiday?
New Year's Day is a bank holiday, which means it is a non-working day in the United Kingdom.As with all bank holidays in the United Kingdom, a substitute holiday is declared if New Year's Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday. Usually, this is on the following Monday.
How Is New Year's Day Celebrated in the UK?
New Year is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world. Like in most parts of the globe, New Year festivities in the United Kingdom begin the day before on New Year's Eve on December 31. Around the world, as well as in the UK, people host and attend New Year parties at home or celebrate in restaurants, bars, or on the street, counting down to the end of the year and wishing each other a happy new year with champagne and other sparkling beverages as the clock strikes twelve.
London Fireworks and Parade
Many cities and towns in the UK celebrate the coming New Year by putting on public firework displays. The city of London has one of the most famous ones. Thousands of people gather at the banks of the river Thames to see an almost 12-minute fireworks display over the London Eye, a giant Ferris wheel. The pyrotechnics begin just after Big Ben chimes midnight and are accompanied by music. Since 2014, this has been a ticketed event.
The fireworks in London are followed by the London New Year's Day Parade, considered to be the largest New Year parade in the world. A 30-year old tradition, the parade began in 1987 as a way to raise money for local charities. Originally called the Lord Mayor of Westminster's Big Parade, the event was renamed in 1994. Parts of the parade route are only accessible to ticketed viewers.
Fire Festival in Allendale
People in Allendale in Northumberland, England, begin their New Year festivities with a fire procession—men carry barrels full of lit tar on their heads across the village before throwing them into a bonfire in the village square.Hogmanay, Loony Dook, and First Footing in Scotland
Hogmanay, the Scottish word for the last day of the year, is a uniquely Scottish custom. The celebrations begin on December 30, with torchlight processions throughout Scotland, with Edinburgh's parade being the biggest and the most popular. On December 31, Scots usher in the New Year by partying and singing Auld Lang Syne, a poem written by Robert Burns, while holding hands with friends and family.
In French, we call New Year’s Eve “La Saint-Sylvestre” (pronounced “la sin(nasal) seal vay str”) or “Le Réveillon du Nouvel An”. Celebrated during the night of December 31st, we usually party with friends and/or family, in a more or less formal way.
So let’s see what French people do on New Year’s Eve and learn the New Year French vocabulary.
1 – How Do You Celebrate New Year’s Eve In France?
New Year’s eve in France is a big deal, and French people often have parties. Let’s see how the French truly celebrate New Year and list seventh truths about this yearly celebration.
2 – New Year’s Eve Party In France – Expect To Dance!
French people like to organize costume parties (des soirées déguisées) with a theme, others like to dress to the Nines (se mettre sur son 31), and dancing will be likely at these parties (French people like to dance… a lot!
And many still know how to dance the swing – or a French version of it – which is still very popular, even among young people).
3 – New Year’s Eve Is Spent With Friends
New Year’s eve has more of a party vibe in France, and it’s often spent with friends rather than family.
At these parties, people may be discussing their new year’s resolutions “les résolutions de la nouvelle année“…
Others will just have a casual gathering… snuggle up at home, maybe watch TV, which will most likely feature “un bêtisier” (bloopers) and a live pop songs show, musical or a variety show… or just a really good movie.
4 – Kissing Under The Mistletoe : S’embrasser Sous Le Gui
4.96 out of 5 based on 77 customer ratings Rated 4.96 Stars
on 77 Reviews
À MOI PARIS LEVEL 2 "MEET THE GANG"
The Perfect Beginner French Audiobook - All in The Present Tense
Except from this, we don’t have special traditions in France about New Year’s Eve, except counting down to midnight sharp, when everybody kisses everybody else, cheers, aplaudes, throws confettis and other party streamers (des confettis, des cotillons), blows on whistles (des sifflets) and whistles with a streamer attached (des serpentins)…
5 – Typical French Food For New Year’s Eve
One thing is certain, if you are invited for un dîner de la Saint Sylvestre / Le Réveillon du Nouvel An (New year’s eve dinner), there will be some Champagne, and possibly oysters (les huitres – mind your liaison “lay zueetr”), foie gras (fwa gra) and smoked salmon (du saumon fumé)…
It’s also traditional to serve a turkey, or a goose, or cornish hen. Scallops and lobsters are also popular, so is game meat like venison.
In other words, French chefs will bend over backwards to entertain their guests and serve only the best of the best of French produce and cuisine.
6 – Going Out To A Restaurant For The New Year
Our New Year’s meal is pretty much the same than the French Christmas meal, except that it’s rather common to go out to a restaurant for New Year’s Eve.Restaurants will offer a special (and pricey) set selection of festive dishes (the set selection is called “un menu“, not to be mistaken with the menu which is “la carte“)
New year in France
7 – French Villages And Towns Celebrates New Year’s Eve With Fireworks And Dances
It’s not unlikely for cities to organize fireworks (des feux d’artifice) or a danse (un bal populaire), or even a parade of some sort.
8 – Wishing Happy New Year Doesn’t Last In France
Strangely enough, French people don’t wish each other Happy Holidays or Happy New Year way in advance like I’ve seen it done in the US – over there, come December you greet everyone with a “Happy Holidays”, with your friends but also in stores etc…
It’s not like that in France.
People will say “Joyeux Noël” on Christmas Eve and day, and “Bonne année” the week after the New Year, but that’s about it.
It’s not a faux-pas to do it, people will accept and usually politely return your wishes, but it’s just not done as much.
9 – Typical New Year Greetings In French
Typical New Year greetings are:
“Je te/vous souhaite une joyeuse année”,“Bonne année 2019!” (de meal deez neuf),
“Que tous tes/vos voeux (veu) se réalisent en 2019”.
“Bonne année et bonne santé pour 2019”.
10 – French New Year Vocabulary Recap
Joyeuse année! – Happy new year
Tous nos (mes) voeux pour la nouvelle année – all our (my) wishes for the new year
2019 – deux mille-dix-neuf [de meal deez neuf] Listen to it in my video below
Le Réveillon – used both for Christmas’ Eve and New Year’s Eve
Une soirée déguisée – costume party
Une soirée dansante – dancing party
Faire la fête – to party
Le gui (hard G + ee) – mistletoe
Les huitres (zwee tr) – oysters
Le saumon fumé – smoked salmon
Le foie-gras – Fancy liver paté
Le champagne – champagne (sh sound, no tch!)
Un bêtisier – bloopers
Une émission de variétés – variety show
Un feu d’artifice – firework
Un bal populaire – street dance
The next day, January 1, folks around Scotland take part in a Loony Dook, an event where costume-wearing people jump into frozen bodies of water to raise money for charity.Yet another special Scottish New Year tradition is First Footing, where the first guest of the New Year brings gifts that symbolize good fortune, such as black buns, coal, salt, shortbread, and whisky. Traditionally, tall, dark, and handsome men were preferred to be the first-foot in a household.
Stonehaven's Fireball Ceremony
A unique Scottish New Year tradition is the Fireball Ceremony in Stonehaven. At midnight, about 40 people walk down High Street while swinging flaming balls over the head. The ceremony lasts for about 20 minutes and is followed by fireworks.Calennig in Wales
In Wales, the New Year was traditionally celebrated by exchanging gifts in an event known as Calennig. Children went from door to door, carrying an apple skewered with sprigs of evergreens and corn and sang songs of health and prosperity in exchange for money or food. Today, this tradition is no longer widely followed, except in a few parts of the region.People in Gwaun Valley in Pembrokeshire wait for nearly two weeks after January 1 to celebrate their New Year or Hen Galan, which is the first day of the year in the Julian Calendar. On this day, children sing songs while visiting local homes.
Who Celebrates New Year in the UK?
New Year is a secular holiday in the UK, so most people celebrate it. Even though employers are not legally obliged to give their employees a day off on January 1, most places of business and work are closed on this day. Many people tend to spend a quiet day with family and friends after attending New Year Eve parties.
History of New Year
New Year’s Day marks the start of a new year according to the Gregorian calendar. It is a relatively modern practice. Although Romans began marking the start of their civil year on January 1 in their calendar (prior to the Gregorian calendar), the traditional springtime opening of the growing season and time for major military campaigns still held on as the popular New Year celebration.
Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582. It was adopted immediately in some areas of Europe but wasn't used by many countries until centuries later. The United Kingdom only started observing the Gregorian calendar in 1752, when 11 days were dropped.
Because the UK is a multicultural society, not all people observe New Year’s Day on January 1. For example, the New Year in the Hindu, Chinese, Coptic, Jewish, and Islamic calendars takes place on a different date than in the Gregorian calendar.
This is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Accordingly, it is difficult to figure out when to end it. But then, this is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Period.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon