HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Yes, Christmas has gone, this beautiful family gathering time, but another celebration is just around the corner. 2013 is the new year which is waiting for us. Some superstitious people might not be very happy with this year, but we’re looking forward to starting this new year plenty of illusions and dreams.

Anyway…what are you planning to do this New Year’s Eve? Will you stay with your friends or is it family time? And what are you going to do at midnight?

I guess it depends on the country where you live. We’ve googled a little bit to know about all the countries. Correct us if we’ve made any mistake ;)

We’re originally from Spain, then let’s start for this country first because it is the one that we know properly.

When the clock pins show the midnight, it’s time to eat grapes. It’s 12 o’clock, we need to eat twelve grapes, one for each ring of the bell.

Why do we do this weird tradition? There’re a lot hypothesis: it is said that at the early XX century, it was a grape abundance and it was decided to sell the grapes as ‘the lucky grapes’ to get rid of them.

Another gastronomic tradition is set in Italy, in this case, lentils at the New Year’s Eve dinner, good fortune symbol, but it seems that it was set as another excuse to avoid a surplus harvest.

These food traditions make sense if we think in the celebrations that take place in the cradle of the European culture, Greece. In Greece New Year’s Eve also means the Festival of St. Basil, one of the founders of the Greek Orthodox Church. So, they serve St. Basils cake or what is the same, Vassilopitta.

What's this cake special for? A silver or gold coin is baked inside it. Whoever finds the coin in their piece of cake will be especially lucky during the coming year. 

If we move to Northern Europe, we find one of the countries where the Christmas holidays are celebrated the most, the United Kingdom. These are so important for them. We also have to sum up all the different parades they celebrate around the country. We don’t know if it’s because of the English punctuality known all around the Globe or what, but one of the major events at New Year’s Eve takes place at the Big Ben in London, cheer and fireworks on. Same feeling in Scotland, or as they named New Year’s Eve: Hogmanay. It’s a four days celebration, and its summit is on the 31^st of January, although it doesn’t end ‘till the 2^nd of January, which is also a bank holiday. Don’t miss the welcome of the new year on Princess Street in Edinburgh.

But if you want to enjoy one of the largest parties and fireworks in Europe, you just go to Germany. Berlin, concretely the Brandenburg Gate, hosts this celebration. Germans toast the New Year with a glass of Sekt (German sparkling wine) or champagne.

Unfortunately, we can’t explain all the celebrations that are taking place all over the countries, we wish we could. But we’ll be delightful if you send us the way your country celebrates the New Year’s Eve.

Happy NEW YEAR to all of you!!! ;)

SelfPackaging team