Amazing New Year’s Traditions Around the World

In many countries around the world, New Year’s Day is celebrated on January 1st with fireworks and festivities the evening before. But this is not the only type of New Year’s celebration and not everyone celebrates on January 1st. Here we look at New Year’s traditions from around the world to understand the way different cultures celebrate the arrival of a new year.

New Year’s Traditions in China: Chinese New Year and the Bloodthirsty Beast

One of the oldest traditions still celebrated today is Chinese New Year, which is believed to have originated around three millennia ago during the Shang Dynasty. The holiday began as a way of celebrating the new beginnings of the spring planting season, but later it became connected with myth and legend.

According to one account, there was once a bloodthirsty creature called Nian —now the Chinese word for “year”—that preyed on villages every New Year. In order to frighten the hungry beast, the villagers took to decorating their homes with red trimmings, burning bamboo, and making loud noises. The ruse worked, and the bright colors and lights associated with scaring off Nian eventually became integrated into the customs that are still seen today.