New Year is here, and we are going to be writing a new chapter in our lives. Let’s take a minute to look at how each country celebrates their New Year. It is interesting to see that although we use the universal calendar in our work and life, the New Year Day of each country is more diverse.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s New Year is on January 1st, according to the Gregorian calendar. Known for its astonishing Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe draws tourists from all over the world to visit this country for once in a lifetime for its New Year celebration. All streets and buildings are decorated with lights and ornaments. People in Zimbabwe usually spend time with their families and friends on this special occasion. The evening is vibrant with many live concerts, clubs, and restaurants.
Vietnam
Tet, Vietnamese New Year, is one of the most important celebrations in Vietnam. In Vietnam, we celebrate it on the first day of the first month of the Vietnamese calendar, around late January or early February. We cook special holiday food such as “chung cake” and “giay cake”. These cakes which are made of rice to express our gratitude to our ancestors and homeland. Many customs are also practiced during Tet, such as visiting a person’s house on the first day of the New Year, greeting people, and giving lucky money to children and elderly people. People also buy various kinds of flowers such as mai, dao, cuc, and truc to decorate their home.
Thailand
Songkran is the Thai New Year’s festival, which is celebrated later in the year around 13-15th April. During these days, common customs that are practiced are visiting local temples and offering food to the Buddhist monks. It is also a ritual to pour water on Buddha statues, and play water fights or splash water. The spraying of water on people is a sign of purification, and washing away one’s sins and bad luck to welcome a New Year. To show respect to older people, younger people often pour water over the palms of elders’ hands.
Nepal
Navavarsha is Nepal’s New Year (mid April) and it is calculated based on Nepal’s lunar calendar known as Nepal Sambat. There are many activities outdoors such as street dances and parades. The religion is also focused on this special day as the locals spend time in the morning to pray, worship in the temples and offer Puja which is a ritual devoted to their gods. Because Nepal has more than 60 ethnic groups which have their own cultures and language, they have 9 different New Year Days. However, Baishakh 1st, mid April, is the national New Year.
India
There are many New Year Days in India depending on various regions. For example, in Gujarat, New Year Day is the first day after Diwali (around October), and in mid-southern states of India, Ugadi and Gudi padwa are New Year Days which are on the first day of the Hindu month, Chaitra (March- April). People would gather together for good food and get new clothes on these occasions.
