New Year In Japan 2012

Let's defeat the old feelings by the new one is the sole motive of Japanese when New Year in near. They celebrate the day very religiously and usually seen offering prayers on the New Year day. It is a big for everybody in Japan. Japanese indulge in serious New Year preparations excitedly and happily.

History of Japanese New Year
New Year in Japan was not always celebrated on January 1. Earlier it was based on the Lunar calender and the dates kept changing. In 1873, Japan followed the Gregorian calender and January 1st became the official New Year day.

New Year Celebrations in Japan
Different days carry forward the tradition of New Year celebrations in Japan. Some of the famous ones are summarized below:

Oseibo
This day marks the beginning of the New Year. People exchange gifts with their superiors, customers and teachers as a token of love of special services.

Nengajo
People of Japan believes sending a greeting on a New Year day bring good luck for their loved ones. They post these cards before the New Year. Post offices collect all and send it on the New Year Day.

Omisoka
Omisoka is a New Year Eve in Japan. It is one of the major events of New Year celebrations. People start cleaning their houses many days before the festival as they believe it to be the best way to get rid off all the dirt of last year.

On a New Year Eve, people eat Toshikoshi-soba at night. They offer prayers at midnight it is considered highly auspicious to listen to the chimes of a Temple bell. According to the Japanese religion, sound of the 108 chimes drives away all the sins and gives birth to new life. People of Japan usually eat noodles on New Year's Eve which symbolizes closeness and advance for a prosperous New Year.

Shogatsu
This is the major New Year celebration in Japan. People celebrate the day with great zest and enthusiasm. All offices, streets and houses are decorated with Shimekezari which is a made up of fern leaves and other auspicious items. It is time to be spent with the loved ones. People uaually go out for dinner or prepare a special New Year meal at home which includes Toso (a sweet cake), Zoni (a soup) and Osechi-ryori(a rice cake).

Otoshidama
It is a good time for young children. They get special allowance called Otoshidama from their parents and relatives. On this day, all the markets are stocked with children toys and gadgets.

Hatsumoude
This is the main New Year celebration day. People carry forward these celebrations up to January 3rd. They wear religious Kimono dress and visit shrines to pray for longevity and good health. People also buy a talisman called Omamori which is supposed to bring good luck.

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New Year In Australia 2012

New Year is celebrated with great enthusiasm and gaiety by whole of Australia. January 1 is the New Year's day in Australia as per the Gregorian Calendar. New Year Celebrations end on January 6.

New Year Eve Celebration
All discotheques, pubs, clubs, hotels, party halls and even beaches are crowded with party maniacs. Australians celebrate the day with high spirits and excitement. Even if they are at homes, levels of energy are very high. As soon as church bells ring at 12 midnight, everyone start producing loud noises with trumpets, drums, horns etc and wish each other Happy New Year.

New Year's Celebration in Australia
New Year is a public holiday and many people love to spend this day with their family and friends. It's most often an outdoor activity which includes picnics, camping, surfing, water sports etc. Australia becomes the largest tourist hub at the time of New Year. More than 3,00,000 tourists celebrate their New Year in Australia. The main attraction of Australian New Year are it's magnificent fireworks.

Two major cities of Australia are famous for their grand New Year Celebrations. These are:

New Year in Sydney
New Year's celebration is the second largest in the world. More than 80,000 fireworks lit the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. The splendid view enthralls the crowd leaving a memorable impression in their minds. The fireworks lit on the New Year's Eve can be seen from a 16 km radius around Sydney. A brilliant work of vocalists and the soundtrack made by the Sydney Council creates a perfect New Year aura. Then comes the Sydney New Year beach Party in a row. People enjoy camping and bonfires. One must not forget to go for a cruise ride aboard some of the popular New Year Cruises.

People of Sydney have a gala time at New Year's Eve. They love to attend New Year Parties which is the biggest rejuvenating time for all the working and non-working people.

New year in Melbourne
Attracting tourists all over the world, New Year has become a major festival of Australia. Verve of New Year celebrations can also be witnessed in the beautiful city of Australia, Melbourne.

New Year Parties in Melbourne
Melbourne is famous for its New Year Eve parties. Discotheques and all party places are thronged with people from various places. A seven course gourmet dinner also adds zing to the party mood. At the time of New Year, Melbourne rocks with the rock bands performing on its beautiful beaches.

If one is in Melbourne for New Year, then Chinese-Australian rituals cannot be avoided by anyone. Chinese rituals like sacrificing to the ancestors are practiced with great enthusiasm and devotion. The best way to get the feel of the true China, then one must visit the China place located in Melbourne.

New Year Clubs in Melbourne
Melbourne is a hub of matchless New Year celebrations. What is required for the absolute New Year celebration is a good party place, thrilling music, fun-filled partiers and of course a lavish dinner. These New Year celebrations doesn't leave any human without shaking his or her leg to the beats of rock bands playing in the famous New Year Clubs. These clubs also arrange some gaming events and cabaret shows.

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New Year In Vietnam 2012

Tet means the first morning of the New Year in Vietnamese language and Nguyen dan is the popular name for the Vietnamese New Year. Nguyen dan begins on the first day of the first lunar month and lasts for seven days. It marks the arrival of spring and is the greatest celebration time as the festival brings along a few breaks in the agricultural year. Vietnamese New Year falls between the period of harvesting of crops and the sowing of the crops.

Nguyen dan Traditions and Customs
Vietnamese are very particular about their New Year traditions and customs. They follow all the customs earnestly and rigidly. Vietnamese believe, on this day their fate and luck for the New Year is determined. Children are told not to cry or fight and people who are in mourning are avoided.

Decorations for New Year
When New Year is near, people of Vietnam start cleaning their houses and ancestral graves. Houses are decorated with Hoi Mai (yellow flowering plant) which is supposed to bring prosperity and well-being for the family. Some people also hang a traditional painting depicting a tale of two lovers. Vietnamese consider Tet to be the time to pay off all debts and to resolve conflicts.

Homage to Kitchen God Tao
Nguyen dan, the Vietnamese New Year is the time to pay homage to the kitchen God Tao. The custom associated with the kitchen God is observed a week before the New Year. Vietnamese believed that there are three gods represented by the three legs of the cooking equipments in the kitchen. The middle God is a woman and the other two are her husbands. In earlier times, it was customary to provide a carp to the gods on which they can travel. The carp symbolizes the second last stage of the process by which animals were transformed into dragons. Keeping the old custom alive, people buy the carp from the market and place in the bucket of water and placed on the altar of the house which was later set free.

Vietnamese New Year Food
Vietnamese New Year food includes a special rice pudding called banh Chung or banh Tet prepared beforehand. The pudding contains mung beans and pork. Other New Year delicacies include preserved sweets, chicken, fish, oranges, beef, grapefruits, coconuts and some seasonal fruits. Watermelon is considered the most auspicious fruit of the season as it's flesh is red. It dried seeds are also used for various delicacies.

Cay Neu - The New Year Tree
A tradition of displaying a New Year Tree is performed with sanctity and devotion. The tree is called as Cay Neu. A bamboo pole decorated with bells, flowers, good luck charms and streamers is placed in front of the house. The red color is considered lucky by the Vietnamese to scare off the evil the spirits. This is the last ritual, le khai ha performed on the seventh day of the Tet.

Nguyen dan Celebrations
People like to celebrate the first day of the New Year with their families and friends. They wear new clothes and children give traditional greetings to their elders before receiving the New Year gifts from them. People with happy experience over the last year are invited as the first person to enter the house. This act is called as Xong dat in Vietnamese.

The middle of the day observes an offering to the ancestors of the family on the altar of the household and incense is also burnt. It is performed every day throughout the festival. On the second day of the New Year, people visit their in-laws and other relatives. On the third day, they visit the family of their teachers and some distant relatives.

People also visit Buddha temples or other holy places on this day. They bring back flowers as a gift which are kept all year to bring in good health and prosperity for the family.

Fortune - telling is the most popular activity of the New Year celebrations. Experts forecasts people's future based on Truyen Kieu (a famous poem). Some traditional dragon dances are also preformed on this day. A few rich people pay for these dancers to perform at their house. Children also enjoy the festival as they get to play all day.

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New Year In Brazil 2012

Brazilian New Year is one of the most traditionally celebrated festival for the people living there. New Year in Brazil is known as Ano Nove (Portuguese) but is more popularly known as Revillion. It is celebrated on January 1 as per the Gregorian Calendar.

New Year is the time when people from various parts of the world like to celebrate it in Brazil. Pubs, party halls, clubs, beaches and even roads are thronged with people.

New Year's Traditions
New Year's celebrations in Brazil reflects it's culture and tradition. On the New Year's day, it's a tradition to consume lentils and rice. It is believed to bring in prosperity and good fortune in the coming year.

De Iemanjá Festival
People dressed in white offer flowers and gifts to the Iemanjá, the Goddess of the Water in the Brazilian Umbanda religion. The colorful floating candles gives a splendid view at the time of New Year.

This festival is celebrated with much devotion and sincerity by the fishermen of the city. They believe the catch at the time reflects the catch for rest of the year.

New Year's Celebrations in Brazil
Véspera de Ano Novo or the New Year's Eve is the most important day for the people of Brazil. The best New Year celebrations can be seen in the most important city of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. New Year celebrations are marked with numerous fireworks and crackers. Musical shows, concerts and other dance performances are the highlights of New Year celebrations in Brazil. The world famous Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro is overcrowded with people on the New Year's Eve.

Another feature of New Year's celebrations is the Brazilian Carnival. People dress up in gaudy clothes and walk down streets singing and dancing on beats of various traditional songs. The famous samba get people on their feet every year.

Any party is not complete without perfect music. New Year's Eve celebrations include numerous local Brazilian artists like samba, frevo, pagode, Axe and forro.

Last but not least, dinner is the best part of Brazilian New Year's Celebrations. It includes farofa (tapioca grains flavored with spices), salads, rice, chicken and marajucá mousse (fruit) which is relished by people present in Brazil to have the taste of it's culture.

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New Year In Tibet 2012

Tibetan New Year called Losar falls on the 25th day of the 10th month of the Tibetan calendar (late January or early February). Losar celebrations take place over a week. At this time, larders are stocked with grain and meat. It lasts year ahead even when no work is possible at the time of winters. New Year festival falls at the end of Dawa Chuchipda.

Legend of Losar Celebrations
According to a Tibetan legend, Singe Namgyar (an ancient king of Ladakh) decided to attack Skardo. As his eventual return from the battlefield was not sure, he chose Losar festival to be celebrated altogether. It was made mandatory for all the families to be present at the feast to celebrate the festival with mirth and revelry. All this happened in the 10th month and since then this festival is carried forward.

Losar Celebrations
New Year celebrations in Tibet lasts for a couple of days. People eat sumptuous meals, offer prayers to their family deities and visit nearby monasteries. These celebrations begin two days before the New Year.

Gutor Celebrations
The last two days of the old year are called Gutor. It is only meant for New Year preparations. Tibetans start cleaning their houses thoroughly. Special care of the 'kitchen' is taken while cleaning the house and special new year dishes are cooked. The New Year delicacies include a soup consisting of nine ingredients - rice, wheat, meat, sweet potatoes, cheese, green peppers, vermicelli, peas and radishes. Dumplings are served with this soup. Dumplings contain paper, pebbles or scraps of wood which are used to tell the future ahead.

On the second day of Gutor, people visit monasteries to make offerings and give gifts to monks. They also participate in various religious ceremonies during the day. The most popular is the play in which the people perform masked dances. It symbolizes victory of good over bad. Crackers are burnt to light the darkness of the New Year and to scare off all the evil spirits.

New Year's Day
On the first day of New Year, Tibetans get up early, take bath and wear new clothes. First, they worship the gods in their households and offer them food. These offerings are known as torma which consist of an animal and demons (made from a dough). After performing religious ceremonies at home, Tibetans visit monasteries and shrines to make offerings. Later, all family members sit together to have special New Year meals. It includes Kapse (a cake) and a warm alcoholic drink called chang. Houses are decorated with flour paintings of the sun and the moon. People also make offerings to the moon for happy and prosperous life. At night, they illuminate the house with oil lamps.

On the second day of Losar, people visit their friends and relatives. Outdoor activities become the part of entertainment. People escalate the festival celebrations with traditional stage fights between good and bad. A famous dance of Ibex deer and the dramatic battles between the King and his ministers add joy to the festive mood. In the night, people whirl burning torches in their homes to cast away the evil spirits.

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New Year In Thailand 2012

Thai New Year is also called as Songkran. It is celebrated for three days from April 13 to April 15 every year on the Gregorian Calendar. Songkran falls on the hottest time of the year in Thailand. It comes from Sanskrit and means 'a move or change'. The date of Thai New Year was set according to the astrological calculations.

Songkran Customs and Traditions
Traditions play a very vital role in presenting a true picture of New Year celebrations in Thailand. Traditional activities are performed with serious dedication by the people of Thailand. A most common tradition of throwing water over one another is performed with fun by the people. It is conceived to bring good rains all year ahead. This is called Rohd Nam Songkran, meaning 'The Pouring of Songkran Water'.

Wan Sungkharn Lohng
This day is celebrated on April 12. On Wan Sungkharn Lohng, people clean their house thoroughly and do general preparations for the New Year celebrations. Thais dress up in new attires to welcome the New Year in a fresh manner.

Wan Nao
A game called Saba (like skittles)is played by most of the people. People build pyramids of sand called chedis on the riverbanks and put on a tiny colored flag on it. This is an example of a very popular traditional activity of people of Thailand.

Wan Payawan
It is celebrated on April 14. All statues of Lord Buddha are washed with scented water. People visit monasteries and shrines to offer prayers and gifts like rice, fruits, sweets and food for the monks. Following this is the custom to release birds from the cages or fish from the bowls. This is believed to bring good luck for the members of the family.

Wan Parg - bpee
April 15 is the day when people pay homage to their ancestors and elders. This day is called Wan Parg - bpee.

Songkran Celebrations
Songkran celebrations leave joy and happiness on the faces of people. After performing all customs seriously, it's time to have some blast. A Songkran procession takes place in Chiangmai (a famous place in Thailand) on April 15. Buddha images and idols are carried through the procession. It is accompanied by people of the city singing and dancing all around.

Songkran celebrations are incomplete unless water is thrown on each other. People roam the streets with buckets of water and children play with water guns to drench people. Water is thrown to get rid off all the bad deeds and give a fresh welcome to the New Year. Songkran is celebrated to refresh and renew in the New Year.

While playing with water, Thais keep wishing Sawatdee pi Maï, basically Happy New Year to all the people they come across.

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New Year In Cambodia 2012

Cambodian New Year or the Chaul Chnam Thmey (New Year in Khmer-Cambodian language) is celebrated for three days. According to the Gregorian Calendar, it falls on April 13th or 14th . New Year in Cambodia represents the end of the harvesting season.

Khmer New Year Traditions
Everyday people visit temples to get blessings from monks and priests. They build a sand hill on the temple grounds and decorate it with five religious flags one on the top and four around the sides. This sand hill represents Buddha's five disciples.

People of Cambodia follow a tradition to sprinkle holy water on each others faces in the morning, on the chest at noon and on the feet in the evening. These days people also pour colored water on their friends and relatives. Colored water symbolize different colors of life in future. Tradition of throwing powder on each other at the time of New Year is also very famous.

Khmer New Year Celebrations
New Year in Cambodia is celebrated by performing various rituals and playing number of games. The three day New Year celebration include the following traditions:

First Day Celebrations - Moha Sangkran
The first day of the New Year is called Moha Sangkran. It is believed that on this day God's angels come to earth to take care of it's creation. To welcome these holy angels, people clean and light up their houses. Members of the family place an idol of Lord Buddha on an altar with flowers, candles, incense sticks, a bowl of scented water, eatables, drinks and shaped out banana leaves.

Food prepared at the time of Moha Sangkran is offered to monks and priests of the temples.

Second Day Celebrations - Vanabot
On the second day of Khmer New Year celebrations, people offer charity and alms to the poor. It is also considered good to present gifts to family members and relatives. At some official places, employees get gifts and other monetary incentives.

Third Day Celebrations - Leung Sakk
On the third day of New Year celebrations people wash all the idols of Lord Buddha with scented water. It is said this ensures good rains all year long. Children pay respect to their elders by washing their feet and get blessings in return. This ceremony of giving a special bath to Buddha statues, monks and elders is called Pithi Srang Preah.

Khmer New Year Games
After performing all rituals and customs to welcome the New Year, it's time to have some fun. Some physical activities become part of New Year celebrations. Popular games played at the time of New Year in Cambodia are listed below:

Tres
In this game, a ball is thrown and caught with one hand while catching sticks (pens, chopsticks) with the other hand.

Chol Chhoung
Played on the night of day one by group of boys and girls standing opposite to each other. One group throws the Chol Chhoung (Khmer scarf ball) on the other and if someone gets hit by the ball then the whole group dances to get the Chhoung back while the other group sings.

Chab Kon Kleng
In this game, one imitates as a hen protecting her chicks from a crow. It is played on the first night of the New Year. The crow tries to catch as many chicks as possible while both the groups sing a song of bargaining.

Bos Angkunh
This game is played by the groups of boys and girls. Each group throws their angkunh (an inedible fruit seed) to hit the angkunh of the other group. The winners must knock the knee of the losers with the angkunh.

Leak Kanseng
It is mostly played by a group of children. They sit in a circle. Someone holds a kanseng (Cambodian towel) twisted in a round shape and moves around the circle. The child moving around the circle secretly keeps the kanseng behind one of the children. If the chosen child realizes the kanseng behind him then he must beat the person sitting next to him.

Bay Khom
It is a game of two children. Ten holes are dug into a board in the ground . 42 stones are required to start the game. Five stones are put into each of the two holes located at the tip of the board and four stones are put in the remaining holes. The first player takes all the stones from any selected hole and put them one by one in other holes. It must be repeated until the last stone is dropped into the hole besides the empty one. Then he must take all the stones into the hole next to the empty one. Similarly, second player starts playing the game and the game ends when all the holes are empty. The player with the maximum number of stones is the winner.

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