Thousands welcome the New Year in Britain

London and Edinburgh celebrate 2008
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Millions of revellers saw in the New Year with spectacular firework displays and

London shows off its Olympic potential in its 2008 firework show

In London, about 700,000 people lined the Thames for a celebration that included the most extravagant fireworks display

ever held in the capital — at a cost of £1.3?million.

Some waited more than six hours to ensure they secured prime firework viewing places along the Thames and

as midnight approached, the rain fell with increasing persistence, but it failed to dampen spirits.

As Big Ben chimed the first moments of 2008, the fireworks lit the sky.

The £1.3 million pyrotechnic display was the centrepiece of Britain's colourful New Year's celebrations.

The show lasted 11 minutes and, as it ended, the crowds cheered and sang Auld Lang Syne.

Albert Caminha, 27, from Portugal, said: "I thought the fireworks were incredible — every possible colour was used —

and I loved the way the lights reflected in the water from the river."

Dawn Reed, 49, from Doncaster, said she had visited London especially for the New Year celebrations.

"It was absolutely fantastic," she said.

"I'd love to come back next year and see it all again, but I would like to get a little bit closer next time."

In Glasgow, 15,000 people packed into George Square while about 100,000 people took to the streets of

 Edinburgh for the Hogmanay festival.

In Wales, around 30,000 people travelled to Cardiff Castle for a party that included acrobats,

circus performers and fireworks.

Leeds was the first British city to herald the New Year holding its firework display at 5.30pm to

attract more families and children after a carnival-style parade, an aerial laser light display and

an open-air performance of Cinderella and the Magic Lamp.

In Edinburgh thousands of revellers packed the streets to take part in one of the world's biggest new year parties.

Around 100,000 people flocked to the city's Hogmanay street party, set against the dramatic backdrop of

Edinburgh Castle and Princes Street Gardens.

Mild conditions dispelled fears there would be a repeat of last year's disappointment,

when the event was cancelled hours before midnight because of severe weather.

Many funseekers began celebrating long before the bells, and flocked to the city centre to find

good vantage points for the music stages and fireworks display.

Once the party got under way at 10pm, revellers could choose between three live music stages

offering everything from dance and pop to Asian fusion and bagpipe music.

Across the road, 9,000 music-lovers were packing into the sell-out Concert In The Gardens event

to rock to the sounds of top British bands.

 

 

 

 

Fireworks and parties see in New YearTue Jan 1, 2008

LONDON (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of revellers saw in the New Year at a huge fireworks display by the River Thames, with millions more raising a glass at parties across the country.

An estimated 700,000 people packed the capital's streets to watch the display at the London Eye observation wheel after Big Ben's chimes heralded the start of 2008.

"With the equivalent of one in ten Londoners enjoying the fireworks in central London alone, it shows a city seeing in the New Year in style," said London Major Ken Livingstone.

Police made 120 arrests but said the crowds were good-humoured with no major issues reported.

"The nature of New Year's Eve in central London has changed," said Superintendent Andy Tarrant.

"From what used to be a relatively low-key spontaneous night is now a world-class event that attracts thousands and thousands of people."

Scotland Yard said 3,600 officers were on duty to help cope with New Year's Eve crowds that have doubled over the last three years in London.

In Scotland, up to 100,000 people packed the streets of Edinburgh for the city's Hogmanay street party.

In Cardiff, circus performers, acrobats and fireworks entertained the crowds at an event in the grounds of the Welsh capital's castle.

(Reporting by Tim Castle, editing by Kate Kelland)

\

Thousands join new year celebration

Thousands of New Year's Eve revellers took to the streets of London to welcome in 2008.

Partygoers lined prime spots in Trafalgar Square and Embankment to hear Big Ben chime midnight and watch an 11-minute firework display over the River Thames.

An estimated 700,000 people arrived in the capital for celebrations and more than 3,600 Metropolitan Police officers were on duty, some in plain clothes.

Officers made 17 arrests - two for assault, nine for being drunk and disorderly, five for public order offences and one for possession of class A drugs.

Roads in central London started to close to traffic from about 6pm to deal with the influx of visitors and journeys on public transport were free from 11.45pm.

The dazzling fireworks display was a big hit with those who braved the drizzle to watch.

Albert Caminha, 27, from Portugal, said: "I thought the fireworks were incredible - every possible colour was used - and I loved the way the lights reflected in the water from the river."

Dawn Reed, 49, from Doncaster, south Yorkshire, said she had visited London especially for the new year celebrations.

"It was absolutely fantastic," she said.

As the display ended, the crowds began to cheer and sing Auld Lang Syne.

• Fireworks and parties see in New Year
  Reuters UK - 11 hours ago
• Huge crowds in London see in 2008
  BBC News - 20 hours ago
• New Year revellers flock to capital
  The Press Association - 20 hours ago

Full coverage »

Fireworks and parties see in New Year Tue Jan 1, 2008

LONDON (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of revellers saw in the New Year at a huge fireworks display by the River Thames, with millions more raising a glass at parties across the country.

An estimated 700,000 people packed the capital's streets to watch the display at the London Eye observation wheel after Big Ben's chimes heralded the start of 2008.

"With the equivalent of one in ten Londoners enjoying the fireworks in central London alone, it shows a city seeing in the New Year in style," said London Major Ken Livingstone.

Police made 120 arrests but said the crowds were good-humoured with no major issues reported.

"The nature of New Year's Eve in central London has changed," said Superintendent Andy Tarrant.

"From what used to be a relatively low-key spontaneous night is now a world-class event that attracts thousands and thousands of people."

Scotland Yard said 3,600 officers were on duty to help cope with New Year's Eve crowds that have doubled over the last three years in London.

In Scotland, up to 100,000 people packed the streets of Edinburgh for the city's Hogmanay street party.

In Cardiff, circus performers, acrobats and fireworks entertained the crowds at an event in the grounds of the Welsh capital's castle.

Moscow ushers in 2008 (00:51) Rough Cut

Asia welcomes 2008  (01:54) Report

Australia ushers in 2008 (00:56) Rough Cut

New Year China: Olympic year (00:49) Rough Cut

New Year's Celebrations Around the World

People love to make New Year's resolutions. Read some made by international students and send us your own. A student from Argentina reflects on all the special ways that New Year's is celebrated in her country. A Vietnamese student remembers how her family celebrated New Year's. Read about New Year's celebrations in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other countries.

Mochituki: Read about the Japanese tradition of making rice cakes at New Year's.	Read about the tradition of eating black-eyed peas and turnip greens in Georgia.
Read about the special custom of paper cutting in China.	Discover the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight.

Take a Quiz: What did you learn about these international New Year's traditions?
Return to: More on New Year's | Holidays and Celebrations | Home Page

New Year's Customs Worldwide

Wishing for Luck, Eating Special Foods

How do people around the world celebrate the coming of the New Year? There are many and varied customs from one country to another, ranging from watching fireworks to eating special foods. Some customs are very surprising or amusing, such as the Thai custom of throwing water on people or the Spanish custom of eating 12 grapes as the clock chimes twelve midnight. Many of these New Year's customs are intended to bring good luck during the new year ahead.

Argentina

In Argentina, we gather together with our families for a big late dinner (About 11:00 p.m.) and we wait for midnight. At midnight everybody lights fireworks for half-hour more or less. Then young people go to New Year parties at dance clubs until the next morning. The next day (January 1st) most people will go swimming in rivers, lakes or public swimming pools.

Adrian Genesir

Brazil

In all cities in Brazil, we have a big party on New Year's Eve, especially in Rio de Janeiro where people go to the beaches to watch fireworks. We usually wear white clothes in order to have good luck during the new year. This party used to be a kind of religious party, but today it has become a big show for tourists and citizens. The party's preparation begins on the morning of the 31st, and the fireworks start at midnight. It lasts around thirty minutes, and everybody makes wishes for the new year: money, love, health. Normally we host more than two million people.

Angela Teixeira

In Brazil, most New Year's Eve customs are related to good luck or fortune. Most people wear white clothes on New Year's Eve to bring good luck and peace for the year that will follow. If they are in a beach city, after midnight, people go to the beach, jump seven waves and throw flowers in the sea while making a wish. This will bring them good luck and fortune. They say that the goddess who protects the sea will make their wishes come true. Because of that, some people also light candles in the sand on the beach. I think this custom came from the mix of the African and Indian cultures that developed in Brazil and have spread from coast to coast.

Renate Pauperio

China

In China, New Year's Eve is a time for...

• all family members to get together to chat
• us to have some special food which we don't have daily
• children to wear brand new clothes
• children to gather lucky money from adults
• traveling
• hanging around the flower shows
• shopping for cleaning one's house, especially for messy people.

On New Year's Eve, all family members get together and just stay home to prepare food. Even though some of the work in different cities, they will be home on time.

At the dinner, we have lots of foods such as dumplings, chicken, and fish which all have meanings of good luck. After dinner, we all go out to a flower show. We can buy different flowers and some New Year's stuff. Then we go back home and chat together. In the meantime, we have some snacks. No one will leave until after midnight. Officially, we have nine days for holidays during New Year.

Kelly Chen

The Chinese New Year's holiday which is celebrated in February, is the longest and most crowded holiday in my country. During this time, people celebrate the arrival of the New Year, pray for a new start of their life in the following spring, and make many new wishes and plans.

The children don't really understand the meaning of New Year's, but it is very exciting for them, and they are happy with all the gifts and programs such as dancing, movies, eating, partying, and talking over old times. Adults visit each other, and usually the holiday will last for two weeks.

I remember that when I was a child, I used to look forward to the New Year, but year by year, I gradually lost interest. Now spectacular shows on TV last all day long. Most of the programs are parties from each province. People sing, dance and play dramas. Today, more and more Chinese would rather spend their time traveling during the holiday. Furthermore, a lot of couples have their weddings during the New Year's holiday.

Yian Ma

Colombia

Burning "Mr. Old Year" is a New Year's tradition in some cities of Colombia. It requires the participation of the entire family. It is a lot of fun; they fabricate a big stuffed male doll that represents the old year. Then they stuff the doll with different materials. Sometimes they put some little fireworks in it to make it more exciting at the time they burn it. Also, they put things inside that they don't want anymore, objects that can bring sadness or bad memories. These things will burn with the old year, meaning that they want to forget all the bad things that happened during the past year. They dress the man with old clothes from each member of the family. Then, on New Year's Eve at midnight, they set the doll on fire. This symbolizes burning the past and getting ready to start a happy New Year without bad memories of the past.

Martha Leverett

Korea

My grandmother always says not to sleep on New Year's Eve. If you sleep, your eyebrows will turn white. I don't know where these words come from. Of course, it doesn't happen. Every New Year's Eve we can watch a striking-a-bell ceremony on TV. The bell is struck 33 times. This is in memory of 33 fighters who died for the restoration of Korea. On New Year's Day a lot of people go to the sea to watch the sunrise. The beaches of eastern Korea are filled with crowds of people. On seeing the sunrise, people make their new wishes.

Seong Ah Kim

We call New Year's Day Sul-nal. We don't have a real New Year's day on January 1st. We use the lunar calendar, and it shows the days a little differently, just as February can be different, depending on the year. We usually wear Han-Boks which are Korean traditional clothes. We have ancestor memorial sites on the first day in the morning. In order to have this, many relatives come together. After the rites, we eat Dduk-gook which is made of rice cake and is a kind of soup. Also, whenever we meet our elders, we perform a New Year's bow. Some older people give New Year's gifts. New Year's day is the biggest holiday in Korea, so we usually spend time with the family and relatives. There are many traditional games on New Year's Day, such as yut, seesaw (teeter). The game of yut consists of 4 sticks and a board. There are 3-4 teams, and each team has 3 to 4 members, so many people can play this game.

Seung-Hye Lee (Clare)

On New Year's day, we traditionally wear Korean traditional clothes called "Hanbock." However, nowadays some people wear western clothes. In the morning, younger generations bow to older generations. For example, children bow to their parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents; and parents bow to their parents. After bowing, older people give brand new money to the children. This means good luck and good wishes. We have special food for this day. It is a kind of soup made of rice cake. All family members eat together and give each other good blessings. There are some traditional games for New Year's Day. I think it is just for family union and for fun. It is winter on those days, so children make a kite and play with them. We also wear special pockets in which we think we can put blessings, but nowadays this custom is disappearing.

Haegyung Lee (Lynn)

Mexico

In Mexico, many people usually gather with their relatives and friends to celebrate the new year. On New Year's Eve, we have some special customs. For example, we turn on the TV and wait to see or hear the bell ringing twelve times. Each time the bell rings, we eat one grape and make a wish. Then we hug each other and wish each other a Happy New Year. Some people, especially women, wear red underwear meaning you will find love in the next year. There are also people who take out their suitcases and walk around the block, meaning they wish they could travel next year. There's also a custom on January 6th to eat a special cake with a hole in it and a small toy inside. The person who gets the piece with this tiny kid is supposed to make a special food on February 5th.

Paola Montsalve

Switzerland

On the last day of December, everybody is very busy. All the food shops and liquor shops are crowded. People are unfriendly and impatient because shopping takes a long time on this day. Finally, people get home late at seven o'clock, tired from working and shopping, hardly enough energy to start cooking the big meal. Until 11 o'clock, nobody is very excited, but deep inside we all feel that soon there will soon be coming a moment to think about our past and our future. When finally the clock turns to 12 o'clock, we raise our glasses and make a toast for all the good things that happened in the last year. We kiss everybody not only 3 times, but many times, and hug everybody several times.

Sylvia Bopp

Taiwan

Before we celebrate the Chinese New Year, the boss in your company always treats his/her subordinates to a big meal and a lottery game. The prizes of the lottery game range from M. Benze to $50 gift certificates. Everyone wins a prize; in other words, everyone wins at least fifty dollars.

It sounds fun, right? However, there is one bad news I have to tell you. According to tradition, the boss usually sets one whole, well-cooked chicken in the middle of the table. After he finishes his speech, to show he appreciates everyone's effort for the company in the past year, he rotates the table tray to show we are able to start eating. At that moment, you have to make sure the chicken's head is not facing you. If it is, it means the boss dislikes you, and you will be fired after the Chinese New Year.

Fred Chen

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Thailand

Thailand has its specific New Year's date; it's different from the normal calendar. The Thai New Year is celebrated on April 13. This day is also a special festival which we call Song-Klarn Day." On this day, Thai people play with water, throwing it on each other. It's also a Thai custom that we respect senior citizens, so most Thai people go back to their hometowns to visit their grandparents to ask for good luck.

Piboon Choklerdpatana

In Thailand, we don't have specific customs for New Year's Eve. When the New Year comes, people just celebrate. A few days before New Year's Day, most people who have migrated from another city to the capital city of Thailand will go back to their own city in order to celebrate with their families. At twelve o'clock when the clock chimes, people usually say, "Happy New Year!" to family members. Some families have fireworks, too. In the morning on January 1st, children often ask for some blessings or wishes from their parents and grandparents, and both of them will give the children money, usually quite a lot of money. They give them new money. The children will use this money to buy whatever they want because they think when the New Year comes, everything should be new. New things are a good sign for starting life again. Most people think if their past time before New Year's was bad, the new year will bring them good luck, and they can start their life again.

Rungsima Trahoolngam (Kwang)

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Turkey

In Turkey, we celebrate the New Year on December 31st. Many people celebrate by having a special New Year's dinner with their close family members and/or friends. The traditional food is generally turkey. Although some families prefer to decorate with a New Year's pine, the general attitude is not to decorate anything special.

The last day of December there are many special entertainment programs on TV. Each TV channel tries to present the best program for New Year's Eve. This Turkish celebration starts early in the evening and lasts till early morning. That night all places are full, and you have to make a reservation a long time before that night if you want to celebrate it out of home.

I remember many happily celebrated New Years with my family when I was a child. When I became a teenager, I started to go out with my friends and that was also wonderful.

Edibe B. Ciftci

Venezuela

In my country, people usually wear yellow underwear on New Year's Day. It means good luck for people who wear it. Most people also eat twelve grapes at midnight for good luck. People who want to travel take a suitcase and carry it around the house. Some people write wishes in a letter, and then they burn it. In almost every house, people have a big meal and make toasts with champagne.

Nakari Barrios

New Year's Day is a special date in our country just as it is everywhere in the world. We always celebrate this special date by drinking champagne and having a big family dinner. This kind of celebration has been a tradition for many years. Furthermore, many people think that this special day brings good luck, and many of them wear yellow underwear to have good luck in the new year. We also write a letter asking for many wishes, and when the New Year comes, we put all those papers together and burn them to make sure that nobody can read what we wrote. Many kids play with artificial fires, and they are given many gifts.

Luis Schiavo

Vietnam

New Year's Day, the start of the new year is the beginning of 10 days of celebration. There are 3 main days that we celebrate. On these days, everyone has to come back to their family if they have gone out of town.

On the first day at 12 midnight, the grandmother or mother in each family has to light firecrackers to receive and welcome the New Year. Then, we go to sleep to wait for the sun to rise. When the sun rises, we wake up and put on new clothes. Then, our grandparents sit on a chair in front of our parents to wish them a happy new year and a long life. Then, our parents sit on the chair to wish us a happy new year and longevity. We keep this custom year after year.

Ngoc-Anh (Annie) Ho

Holidays & Celebrations from Around the World

Photo: Sandy Peters Writers from around the world describe special days that are celebrated in their countries. Write us about a special holiday, festival, or celebration in your country. Tell us how you celebrate it and why it is special. E-mail us at: topics.mag@gmail.com

Holidays, Celebrations, and Festivals by Type
Christmas	New Year's
Valentine's Day	Independence Day
Independence Day

Holidays, Celebrations, and Festivals by Countries

Angola	Christmas in Angola
Brazil	Brazil's Famous Carnival Holiday
China	Chinese New Year's Paper Cutting The Chinese New Year's Our Chinese New Year Chinese New Year Torch Day in China
Colombia	Independence Day in Colombia
El Salvador	Independence Day in El Salvador
Gabon	Labor Day in Gabon
Germany	October Fest in Germany
Hong Kong	Chung Yueng Festival
Ireland	An Irish Christmas:The Night Before
Japan	Coming of Age Ceremony -Taking a Fresh Look at How to Celebrate a Festival Hanami - Viewing the Cherry Blossoms Cherry Blossom Season Authentic Japanese Ceremonies for Children: Hina-Matsuri, Children's Day, Shichi-go-san (3-5-7) Coming of Age Ceremony Momo no Sekku - Girls' Festival Celebrating the New Year's in Japan Seijin-no-hi (Coming-of-Age Day) Setsubun (Bean Throwing Festival) Shichi-Go San - Seven, Five, Three Ceremony Worshipping at a Jinjya on New Year's
Korea	Children's Day in Korea Ch'u Sok (Thanksgiving) in Korea Dae-Bo-Rum Eating Tekguk New Year's in Korea Shul, the Korean New Year
Pakistan	Independence Day in Pakistan
Peru	Festivals and Celebrations in Peru Independence Day in Peru
Philippines	Maskarra Festival in Bacolod City, the City of Smiles
Qatar	Independence Day in Qatar
Spain	A Celebration in Spain: The Easter Week
Sweden	Celebrating Santa Lucia Day
Syria	Independence Day in Syria
Thailand	Loy Krathong, One of Our Most Popular     Festivals Thai New Year Songkran Festival - Water Festival
Turkey	Children's Day in Turkey Ramadan and Kurban Independence Day in Turkey Turkish New Year's
Ukraine	Independence Day in Ukraine
Venezuela	Christmas in Venezuela
Venezuela	Carnival at El Callao, Venezuela La Paradura del Niño Los Tambores (Drums) de Barlovento Carnival in La Chimana, Venezuela