Different cultures have their unique celebrations of the calendar New Year's traditions. Here are some of famous New Year's traditions around the world.
The Netherlands
Amsterdam hosts one of the world's largest street parties on New Year's Eve. If you attend, buy some oliebollen to eat at mid-night. It is usually believed that eating these deep fried oily balls will drive away evil spirits in the New Year. Dam Square (the craziest), Nieuwmarkt, and Leidseplein host unofficial street parties with music, fireworks and beer tents. Amsterdam's celebration is not for the casual partier: some attendants have compared it to a war zone!
Scotland
Celebrating Hogmanay, which stands for the last day of the year, is a big deal in Scotland. It is so grand that it often overshadows Christmas. Christmas was outlawed by the Church of Scotland for nearly four centuries, and it didn't make a comeback until 1958. Though the holiday has regained its popularity, the New Year Festival of Hogmanay still holds a sacred place in Scottish hearts.
Australia
Sydney Harbor hosts one of the biggest New Year's Eve celebrations in the world. It's mid-summer in the southern part of globe, and thousands of people gather around the Opera House in advance. An air-plane show and a water display open the celebration at 6:00 pm. A family-friendly fireworks show starts at 9:00 pm, while the main attraction-the Harbor Light Parade is at midnight.
The United States
Each year, hundreds of thousands of people flock to New York City to see the Big Apple drop at midnight. This New Year's Eve tradition actually began as a replacement for fireworks, which had been forbidden in New York. In addition to watching balls drop, in other US cities you can watch peaches, giant walleye, and other locally relevant symbols lowered as the clock strikes midnight.
