Chinese New Year
A
lot of Chinese children dress in new clothes to
celebrate the Chinese New Year. People carry lanterns and join in a huge
parade led by a silk dragon, the Chinese symbol of strength.The legend
says that the dragon hibernates most of the year, so people throw
firecrackers to keep him awake.
In the Chinese lunar calendar each of the 12 years
is named after an animal. As the legend says the Lord Buddha asked all the
animals to come to him before he left the earth. Only 12 animals came
to wish him farewell, and Buddha named a year after each
one.
Belgium New Year
Sint Sylvester Vooranvond is called New Year's Eve. Belgian children toast with the customary champagne and write New
Year's letters to their parents or godparents on New Year's day.
They decorate the cards with fancy paper complete with cherubs, angels, and colored roses and then read them aloud.
Single Irish women place sprigs of mistletoe under their pillows on New Year's night in the hope that it will bring better luck and a future husband.
According to Irish superstition, be wary of who enters your home after the 31st — if the visitor is a tall, dark handsome man, your year will bring good fortune. A red-headed woman will bring a lot of trouble.
Argentina
In Argentina, people believe that eating beans before the clock strikes midnight means they will have good luck in their careers in the year ahead. Some also believe that if they carry a suitcase around their house, they will travel more in the year to come
New Year's Eve in Great Britain
One of the most widely known symbols of New Year's Eve is the image of the Clock Tower at the Palace of Westminster, in London, counting down the last minutes of the old year. The first chimes of Big Ben, the bell housed in the Clock Tower, in the new year are broadcast live on radio and television. This is followed by a spectacular fireworks performance, often centered on the London Eye, which is claimed to be the largest Ferris wheel in Europe.
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