世界各国千奇百怪的迎新年风俗

世界各国千奇百怪的迎新年风俗

As one of the world's oldest sharedtraditions，New Year is celebrated in manyforms，but most cultures have one thing incommon-letting one's hair down after a long，hard year.

For much of the globe this involvesdrinking champagne with friends until the suncomes up，seeing out the old year with bonfiresand singing Auld Lang Syne off-key.

But others have rather more curioushabits，often linked with superstition.

In Finland，people pour molten lead intocold water to forecast the year aheadfrom the shape the metal sets in. Ifit looks like a ship it is said to foretelltravel；if it's a ball，good luck.

In Denmark，people stand onchairs and jump off together as theclock strikes midnight，literally leapinginto the new year. The Danes alsothrow plates at their friends' homesduring the night-the more shards youfind outside your door in the morningthe more popular you are said to be.

The Dutch build huge bonfireswith their Christmas trees and eatsugary donuts. In many cultures，eating roundNew

Year's foods is believed to bring goodfortune. Donuts are also served in Germany，traditionally filled with jam，but one of thedonuts will contain mustard to trick one unluckyreveler.

Spanish，in turn，eat a dozen grapesbefore the stroke of midnight，each fruitmeaning a month that will either be sweet orsour.

Based on a tradition from Spain，Mexicanseat a grape with each of the twelve bell chimesduring the New Year countdown，while makinga wish with each one. For Mexicans whowish to travel more in the new year，they takeluggage outside to symbolize trips to come inthe new year.

In the Philippines，the tradition of makingnoises is a popular custom. In the belief thatnoises will scare away evil spirits，peoplelight fireworks and firecrackers to make a lotof noises. Coins added to tin cans are alsoshaken to make noises which is believed tobring prosperity in the new year. Children areencouraged to jump around as part of an oldtradition that was believed to make them taller.

In the Philippines，people also wear polkadots for good luck，while in some countries ofSouth America people put on brightly coloredunderwear to attract fortune-red for love andyellow for financial success.

In Greece，families celebrate New Year'sEve by switching off the lights at midnight andsharing a vasilopita. It is sweet bread whichcontains a coin hidden in it.The bread is cutby the head of household and shared amongfamily members. Whoever received the piecewith the hidden coin is assured good luck in thecoming year. Like many other countries，Austrianstoo celebrate New Year's Eve with a lavishdinner. Pork takes centre stage on the menuwith roasted suckling pig signifying success inthe new year，Piglets in Austria are symbolsof good luck. Given Austria's long tradition ofmusic it is not surprising that the new year iscelebrated with a concert，especially in Vienna.

Despite regional and cultural differences，for most the New Year festival is a holiday thatis about relaxation and letting go. It is a chanceto let Off steam before the annual cycle startsall over again.

作为举世同庆的最古老的传统之一，新年的庆祝方式多种多样，但大多数文化对新年的庆祝都有个共同之处――就是在度过漫长、辛劳的一年之后好好放松一下。

对于世界上许多人而言，庆祝新年就是和朋友一起彻夜不眠，喝着香槟酒，在篝火前哼着跑调的《友谊天长地久》，直到新年的太阳升起。