Even if New Year’s Eve is (or should be) celebrated again this year due to the coronary virus in many families in the nearest circle, the festival can look back on a long history.
The last year has required a lot from all of us. That’s why many families should look forward to the new year and keeping their fingers crossed at midnight that everything will finally get better in the new year. Also this New Year’s Eve, due to the crown, there will be no big parties and bangs outside or inside.
The last day of the year, New Year’s Eve, takes its name from Pope Sylvester I, who ruled between 314 and 355. Legend has it that he healed Emperor Constantine the Great from leprosy and later converted him to Christianity.
However, we do not celebrate his name day so long. For example, according to the Roman July calendar, the beginning of the new year did not fall on January 1st. It was not until 1582 that Pope Gregory introduced the Gregorian calendar, which we still use today.
What will the new year bring?
Of course, in the New Year’s Eve there is also enough time to look forward to the new year. What will it bring, how will it go, personally, professionally?
Like Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve is one of the “holy nights” and therefore refers to all sorts of customs and superstitions. Demons, bad luck and evil spirits are supposed to be driven away by the loud roar of the fireworks so that luck and happiness can accompany us on our way through the new year.
In the past, for example, bells or whips were used to generate the loud noises. Nowadays, New Year’s Eve is celebrated worldwide with grand and sometimes gigantic fireworks, which are no longer used primarily to cast out demons, but rather to illustrate the joy of the new year.
Unfortunately, the fireworks, which are popular with many, have to be largely canceled this year due to the Corona situation.
May the new year be a success
The last ten seconds of the old year are usually counted aloud. At the point of twelve the champagne glasses ring and you toast to the turn of the year and wish each other happiness and a happy new year. This custom has existed for many years and has a simple reason. The term ‘Prosit’ has a Latin origin and means – let it succeed. So you wish yourself, your guests and friends a successful and happy new year.
At the latest a few minutes before the start of the new year, you should treat yourself to a few quiet moments in which to review last year and remember the famous good resolutions for the coming year.
So that you don’t have financial problems in the new year and therefore have enough money, an old custom is recommended to celebrate on December 31st. eat lentil soup. The lenses stand for coins. So, eating a lot of slow soup helps a lot. Or you can keep a scale of the traditional New Year’s carp and carry it in your wallet all year round.
In addition to the above-mentioned customs, there are other traditions that are not so well known.
The New Year’s Eve race is one of the more and more popular New Year’s traditions. It doesn’t have as long a tradition as the many other customs, but more and more people are joining the many New Year’s races all over the world. The idea behind it is simple – the goal of the race is to leave behind the old year. Before you start the holidays, you should be physically active again.
Eating together is part of New Year’s Eve
Eating together with family and friends is also one of the older habits. The most popular are dishes where everyone can prepare something together. That is why a raclette or fondue is most often prepared in German salons on New Year’s Eve. But slow soup or sauerkraut are also very popular in Germany and are also intended as a symbol of financial security in the new year. Midnight soup, such as goulash or onion soup, is also popular.
It is customary not to hang laundry on New Year’s Eve, otherwise Wotan and his army could be stopped. Wotan is the Germanic father of the gods and god of hunting and is out and about that night. By hanging out clothes, you draw the wrath of the god upon yourself. That’s why you shouldn’t hang up the laundry until the new year.
Here are some tips on how to bring New Year’s traditions into your home that are also suitable for children:
Pigs, chimneys and clovers bring good luck
The habit of giving each other luck in the form of piglets, chimney sweeps or four-leaf clovers is absolutely suitable for children. If you give away pigs and chimney sweeps in the form of figurines, the children can wonderfully play with them. The lucky pigs are often also made of marzipan, which the little ones prefer to catch. According to tradition, they are used as decoration or packaged in small gifts that are given to guests at a New Year’s Eve party.
Of course we can also take pictures all evening this year, right? In addition, you get fun tools to dress up and then the contest for the “funniest New Year’s Eve self-portrait” begins. Even the little ones can participate! And the best photos end up in a “New Year’s album” where you can look up what you’ve done every year. This will be a beautiful memory!
Firecrackers are canceled this year!
Most kids like to be loud because noise is part of their healthy standard repertoire. This year you should approach things a little more carefully and hold back a little in favor of everyone. You can sometimes do without the firecrackers. There are also great table fireworks and other festive hits for the apartment. But beware: Small children and most pets don’t like firecrackers anyway and are a little scared.
Not particularly an old New Year’s Eve ritual, but now a popular one: watch the sketch “Dinner for One” together. The 1972 classic is also suitable for children and fun for the whole family. The weekly reports on this in detail.
Wax and cookies predict the new year
Lead is not the healthiest substance, neither for children nor for adults. Therefore, the sale of lead casting sets has been banned since 2018. So you don’t have to do without the old New Year custom. There are excellent wax “leaded” sets available. The principle remains the same: heat a portion of wax on a spoon over a candle and then pour the melted wax into cold water with one fluid motion.
Take out the cooled wax structure and interpret it. You will always be amazed at what kids can predict! Boredom is not guaranteed. If you don’t want to do without metal, you can also use a pewter set.
What will next year be like? Hopefully better! More concrete answers give you delicious lucky cookies that you can crack and eat with your loved ones.
The whole thing can even be turned into a fun game (for older kids):
Lucky cookie taboo! Everyone has to mime the spell on their lucky cookie and the others have to guess. One last big but fun challenge in the old year. Anyone who has developed a taste for the game can add a round to one of the many board games. This passes the time until midnight!
The weekly now wishes you all a healthy, happy and successful year 2022! Have a good slide!
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