If New Year’s Day is a day for resolutions and starting the new year on the right foot, New Year’s Eve is a night for unforgettable celebrations and marking another year with the ones we love. The New Year’s Eve celebration can also be a farewell to a year we’d like to forget. 2020 anyone?
No matter what you’re trying to celebrate or forget, a good party can help you get there. Let’s take a look at some New Year’s traditions, as well as what a few celebrations look like around the world.
Why this New Year’s Eve Celebration is so important
Most of us have spent the past year and a half cooped up, unable to see the people and do the things we love. Last year, most places put limits on the numbers of people allowed at parties and clubs, meaning the New Year’s Eve parties were limited and lacked the grandiosity we expect from this wonderful night.
Now that we’ve been given the opportunity to let loose and blow off some steam once again, it’s important to be thankful that we made it through and generate some good juju for a great next year.
Modern New Year’s traditions
It’s never hard to find something to do on New Year’s Eve. Whether you want to celebrate with a small game night among friends, a night out on the town, or a trip to somewhere you’ve never been, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for, somewhere in your group of friends.
Although, you can’t go wrong with the classics.
The parties
If there’s one New Year’s Eve tradition that stands above the rest, it’s the grand parties. Whether you celebrate at house parties with all your loved ones or at the club with friends, old and new, people love to celebrate the new year in the presence of others. The New Year’s Eve party is the biggest and best of the year for many of us.
Every club in town will have some kind of event going on, so you can take your pick. Do you want a live band? How about a world-class DJ? Clubs spare little expense on their New Year’s parties, so you can expect some of the best entertainment of the year to be plentiful on December 31st.
Home celebrations can get equally elaborate. For many hosts, the New Year’s party is the cherry on top of the holiday season, and they go all out setting the scene. They decorate with glitter and balloons and little black bow ties. Maybe it’s a roaring twenties theme or a masquerade ball. Whatever they do, they do it big. Your New Year’s Eve Celebration is a great time to run wild with your party ideas.
The drinks
Champagne is for celebrations. It’s no wonder why so many people ceremoniously pass out the champagne flutes to clink and drink at midnight on New Year’s Eve. It doesn’t matter if you buy the best bottle in the house or your favorite bargain brand. The bubbles go straight to your head, and you start the year off feeling good, and that’s what it’s all about.
Many people also like to try their hand at mixology on New Year’s Eve. It’s a fun day to try something new, and you’ve got a great excuse to make a couple of dozen drinks and get people to wait to drink them all at the same time.
The food
Since New Year’s Eve parties are a drinking event for so many of us, it’s a good idea to pair those pours with some sustenance. Try whipping up a Hoppin’ John. It’s a traditional southern dish made with black-eyed peas. It’s easy, delicious, and it’s a New Year’s Eve tradition.
The black-eyed peas in the dish represent pennies. Paired with classic sides of greens and cornbread, which represent paper money and gold, respectively, you’ve got a filling dish that will keep you in the game and deliver the promise of prosperity in the new year.
Singing songs
What is a party without some singing and dancing? Many cultures have traditional songs that they sing to ring in the new year, but in the English-speaking world, none is more popular than Auld Lang Syne. The words and melody are uniquely New Year’s. The song is about maintaining old friendships and looking back over the past, so it’s perfect for any event that marks a transition. When you watch the ball drop 2022, there’s a good chance it’ll be playing.
Fireworks
Another thing that goes hand in hand with a good party is the presence of fireworks. The lights, the pops, and the sizzle of a good fireworks show is the ultimate climax for a day of celebration. Many cities host a fireworks show on New Year’s Eve, so check your city’s website to see if there is a display near you. If a large display is out of the question, many people like to substitute sparklers.
On a side note, if your city does have a fireworks display, pet owners should make sure their pets are okay on New Year’s Eve. It can be a stressful holiday for them.
New Year’s Eve Celebrations Around the World
New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world have been occurring in their own special way for millenia. That’s because the marking of another year is important to all of us. We survived another year. Not all of us did. It’s like a big birthday for the collective whole.
Every culture has their own traditions. They have their own activities, dress, songs, and food. Each traditional aspect is symbolic of something meaningful. Maybe we eat foods that resemble coins to symbolize prosperity in the upcoming year. Perhaps we sing songs about the good old days. Whatever we do to celebrate the day, we do so to recognize that we are thankful for both yesterday and today.
Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar and doesn’t occur on the first of January, but it’s a great New Year’s tradition, nevertheless. Held on the second new moon after the winter solstice, the Chinese New Year is celebrated by donning new clothes and carrying lanterns in a big parade led by silk dragons. They also love to light fireworks on the new year. The dragons hibernate much of the year, so the fireworks keep them awake.
The Times Square Ball Drop
For many, the shift from one year to the next doesn’t feel official until they see the descent of the crystal ball, New Year’s unofficial mascot. Since 1907, this iconic drop has signaled the moment the old year passes and the new one begins. The ball itself has seen many iterations over the years, but the tradition never goes away.
Since the advent of television, this New York tradition has become a world tradition. It’s now a spectacle watched live by people all over the world.
The twelve grapes
It is a Spanish tradition to eat a grape with each of the twelve bell strikes at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Eating the grapes is thought to bring good fortune in the new year. In addition to Spaniards, people in many other Spanish speaking countries also celebrate the tradition.
New Year’s Eve Celebrations in the Twin Cities
Here at home, we have our own traditions. We like to dress inappropriately for the crazy cold. Some of us check out a show at the Minnesota Orchestra. Some of us get drunk on a frozen lake. Whatever floats your boat. There are so many fun things to do on New Year’s Eve in Minnesota, and it can be hard to choose.
On New year’s eve, Minneapolis and St. Paul both have great options, but it really depends on what kind of experience you’re looking for. If you’re going to be in Minneapolis, Crystal Ball New Year’s Eve 2022 at the Pourhouse is a fantastic party.
Featuring the top DJs in Minneapolis and multiple rooms of entertainment, there’s sure to be a scene that’s perfect for you and your crew. Be sure to jump on tickets fast because they will sell out.
Find your New Year’s Eve Celebration
The new year is all about new beginnings, and if there’s one thing people of all walks of life like, it’s a chance to start over and align our lives more closely with the ones we see for ourselves. Wherever you begin your New Year’s countdown, make sure it fits that vision. Make sure it’s in a place you love, with people you love.