How the New Year is celebrated in America. How New Year's Eve is celebrated in the USA. Santa Claus from America

The Western Hemisphere, like the rest of the world, celebrates two of the most important winter celebrations of the year: Christmas and New Year. And if the first of them is characterized by a quiet family dinner, ancient traditions and a sacred atmosphere, then the second is the complete opposite. We will now find out exactly how the New Year is celebrated in America, what is so special happening here and what traditions have been preserved in these lands. After all, it is worth considering the fact that many European rituals were often mixed with the customs of the Indians.

History in America

Celebrating this celebration on Novaya Zemlya began in the 17th century, when the first colonies of Europeans arrived here. Traditions were completely identical to British or Spanish, from the date of the celebration to the decorations. In the early years of colonization, the rituals of the Indians are here at all, since they were ousted from society in every possible way. Therefore, the country from which the settlers arrived played a big role, because in accordance with this, the first American social norms were established. So, in the North, the traditions of the New Year in America were identical with British or French (which are also very similar to each other). Latin Americans celebrate the New Year according to Spanish and Portuguese customs, but it's fair to say that they've borrowed a lot from the US in recent years. The cult of the Indian began to appear on this holiday only in the 20th century. In these incomprehensible and slightly scary images, people dress up and walk the streets during demonstrations, parades and carnivals.

What day to expect the arrival of the New Year?

Nowadays, the whole world (with the exception of some African countries) lives according to the Gregorian calendar. In accordance with it, the New Year is also celebrated in America. The date of its celebration is from December 31 to January 1. Officially, it is believed that the celebration falls on the first day of the new year. However, the real bright, unforgettable and simply stunningly beautiful celebration takes place on December 31st. On this day, it is impossible to break through the streets due to the large influx of people - locals and tourists. Store shelves are empty before our eyes, decorations, firecrackers, sparklers and other pyrotechnics sparkle in the air. All houses, both inside and out, are fully dressed up with tinsel, rain and balloons. It is in such brilliance and bright colors that the New Year is celebrated in America. This date, which is noteworthy, is not considered a day off. On December 31, all offices are open, as are shops, hairdressers and other establishments.

USA and Canada

Here, preparations for the New Year's celebration begin at the end of November, immediately after the Thanksgiving holiday. Since the New Year is celebrated in America after Christmas, Christmas trees and most street decorations have long been installed here. In the period from December 24 to January 1, Santa Claus walks the streets of all cities, taking pictures with children, talking and giving them gifts. The traditions of the New Year in America, in particular in the USA and Canada, are completely borrowed from England. Santa Claus, on the night of 31/1, enters homes with children through the fireplace and leaves his gifts in shoes or socks. The next morning, the kids take apart their presents. Turkey is a traditional dish on the tables, and it is complemented by pizza, hot dogs, various sausages, salads and much more.

Major festivals in the USA

New Year's Noise and Glitter of Central America

In Mexico, Cuba, Panama and the Dominican Republic, the arrival of the New Year is accompanied by the loudest sirens and chimes, as well as the brightest fireworks. We already know how the New Year is celebrated in North America - colorful, fun, noisy. But then a real carnival begins, which covers the beliefs of the Indians, and Catholic rites, and the preferences of modern youth to "break away in clubs." New Year here is a public holiday, which is usually celebrated on the street, in a bar or in a restaurant. People walk around the cities dressed in what. Men dress in some groups of people put on which symbolizes the old, outgoing year, always complemented by stilts. It is noteworthy that at the moment when the clock strikes 12 times, all the inhabitants of Central America begin to scream, beat with spoons and pots. At the same time, all the bells in the cities ring. This is how they welcome the New Year.

Features of the celebration in the southern part of the continent

How do they celebrate the New Year in America, where there is no snow, no ice skating rinks and other winter paraphernalia? Incredibly bright carnivals are organized here, where everyone can demonstrate their choreographic abilities. What is the carnival in Rio, which falls just in the middle of winter. Similar but less spectacular events are organized in Argentina, Ecuador, Chile and Peru. The main thing that all Latin Americans remember is that New Year is a public holiday. And on this day you need to have fun and recharge with positive for the whole next year.

Conclusion

As it turned out, the celebration of the New Year in America is a public matter. Here they visit clubs, restaurants, have fun on the streets, participate in performances and carnivals. And, most importantly, no one is bored.

New Year's holidays are celebrated all over the planet, and US residents are also not left out. Since the United States is a multinational state, many traditions originate in the culture and history of other peoples.

When is New Year celebrated in America?

In the United States, the new year begins at midnight from December 31st to January 1st. And if Christmas is a home, family holiday, then the New Year is fun with friends or colleagues, noisy parties.

Parades are held throughout the city, the most significant one takes place in Time Square, New York. By the way, this is where many Americans tend to get on the last day of December. At 11:59 p.m., a special spectacle begins in Times Square - the lowering of the ball of time.

How is New Year celebrated in America?

Residents buy firecrackers and flashy accessories to get attention. And most nightclubs organize parties.

The New Year is preceded by a more significant holiday for Americans - Christmas. Therefore, the streets and buildings are already decorated with lights, garlands and fairy-tale figures. There are fir trees in all central squares.

The houses are also decorated, both inside and out: with various deer figurines, snowmen, garlands, and toys.

A baby in diapers is one of the symbols of the New Year among Americans. This character is present at all festive festivals and on many postcards.

American New Year: Traditions and Customs

Americans love to make a wish list of things to do for themselves, such as buying a car, joining a gym, going on a diet, winning a medal in a competition. Notes are saved, they are taken out at the end of next year and summed up.

People prefer to roam the streets all night and spend time in entertainment venues. Noisy events are held in every park and institution, so it’s unrealistic to get bored.

What is customary to give for the new year in America?

Americans present serious gifts to each other at Christmas, and for the new year, these are usually trinkets and souvenirs, clothes, and sometimes gift cards. It is customary to give large gifts with a check, this allows you to hand over the item in the future if the item did not live up to expectations.

Preparing for the New Year and Christmas in America id="1f16cd0c">

Christmas and New Year are just around the corner, which means that any respectable American has not only bought and packed gifts, but has already forgotten where he put them in anticipation of the holidays.

Preparations for Christmas begin in the US in the summer. It is a fact. Even the Hallmark TV channel (generally obsessed with Christmas) puts on a Christmas movie marathon in August.

And many families arrange "Christmas" in the summer - this is an occasion to gather all the relatives and there is a weekend away.

If you are preparing gifts for someone, then do not forget to put a check in the holiday package. No, not the one where it is indicated how much you paid for a pair of socks, but a special "gift" check, according to which the goods can be returned to the store, receiving instead a certificate for the purchase amount.

Now, before Christmas, it is offered to everyone at the checkout, and during the year you can just ask for it yourself.

Generally gift Certificate to one or another store - this is a way out of the situation "I don't know what to give." Works very well with the male half of relatives.

If you have Small child, then wait for three categories of gifts - clothes, toys and books. And get ready for the fact that there will be a lot of gifts.

Packaging is a separate epic. If the gift is in a package, then light multi-colored paper is placed on top. But often it is on Christmas that the offerings are placed in a cardboard box, and only then they are wrapped in paper and bows are molded.

In America, Christmas is not celebrated on December 25, it is celebrated throughout December. The house is decorated with themed toys (snowmen, deer, candles), a Christmas village and beautiful candles are arranged, garlands and socks are hung in front of the fireplace, and most importantly, a Christmas tree is put up. Often not alone.

The Christmas dinner itself can also take place on any date in December, because there are many relatives and you need to visit everyone with guests, include corporate parties, children's parties, fairs, photos in the shopping center with Santa in the schedule ...

And the main tradition is postcards.

The first wave is before Christmas. Either a family photo or a photo of a child is placed on the postcard. Cards are made according to a template, printed and sent to all relatives and friends.

The second wave is after Christmas, so each gift should be responded with a letter of thanks.

For Russians, the main holiday is the New Year. This is undeniable. Adults and children are waiting for him. For Americans, Christmas is considered the main holiday. Americans also celebrate the New Year, but with less excitement. However, they attend concerts, watch the parade, shop at the fairs and marvel at the colorful fireworks.

The History of American New Year's Eve

Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582. In the colonies of England, from which the States were then formed, they began to live according to such a calendar 30 years earlier. The onset of the New Year on January 1 was adopted by the Americans from the Europeans. There, traditionally on New Year's holiday, they walked and had fun.

American New Year Traditions

Residents of the United States represent the New Year in the form of a baby in a diaper. In their opinion, the New Year develops, matures and ages over 365 days. By the end of December, he turns into an old man, He has to transfer his position to a newborn baby. This happens every year.

On the eve of the New Year, the inhabitants of America abruptly change their fate, deciding from the first days of the coming year to live in a new way. Some cool start fighting with their own bad habits including smoking and being overweight. They want to play sports, make up with relatives or collect some items.

New Year for them is a kind of temporary launch pad.

In the last week before the New Year, Santa Claus walks the streets. He allows children to take pictures with him. And on New Year's Eve he comes to them and leaves gifts. He usually puts them on the fireplace or hides them in a stocking.

Christmas decoration

Americans know no limits to the decoration of their homes and streets. They buy everything: firecrackers, tinsel, all pyrotechnics, balls and sparklers in stores. Their houses sparkle from shiny tinsel and rain. The street is crackling and sparkling from pyrotechnics. There are so many people in the capital that it is difficult to move around.

Video - How houses are decorated in the USA for New Year and Christmas

New Year celebration

Residents of the United States most often celebrate the New Year in family circle among relatives and friends. Young Americans love to attend mass festivities, where several thousand spectators gather. They are seduced by joyful cries, car horns, explosions of firecrackers, volleys of fireworks.

New Year's attributes

In 1907, a purely american tradition. Today it is known in many countries. Since then, every year on the last day of December, a minute before the New Year, a large ball is thrown from a height of 23 meters on the square in Times Square. His flight to the ground lasts a whole minute. The last 10 seconds of his fall are unanimously counted down by the spectators who have gathered on the square.

More people are counting down the last seconds of the ball's fall sitting in front of your TV. When the ball reaches the ground, the New Year comes. This happens exactly at midnight. The tradition has managed to gain popularity among Americans. Many residents of the capital and its guests come to the square on a fabulous night. They want to watch the ball descend, counting down the last moments of the past year.

Other states and towns

Residents of other cities liked to watch how the christmas ball. Only they replaced it with their own items. In Georgia, instead of a ball, a large peach falls. In North Carolina, a brass acorn is flying down from above, it weighs 900 pounds. In Strasbourg, a ping-pong ball flies from a height.

New Year's Eve has been celebrated in the United States since the 17th century. This tradition was brought to the American continent by colonists from Holland. New Year's Day is a public holiday in the United States. January 1 is an official holiday. But still, the main winter holiday for America is Christmas. The holiday of Catholic Christmas has a spiritual religious character. On this holiday, believers must attend church. And they celebrate the holiday with their family, most often in the parental home. Unlike Christmas, New Year is a secular holiday that is celebrated with friends in restaurants, cafes, casinos or just on the streets and squares.

The brightest, solemn and crowded celebration of the New Year takes place in New York at Times Square. For more than a hundred years, there has been a tradition to lower the so-called Times Square Ball from the tower of The New York Times on December 31 at 23.59. This famous attraction was invented by the first owner of the tower in 1907. New Yorkers liked it so much that since then every year this ritual descent, which has already become a good tradition, is performed. A huge sparkling ball, fixed with a special cable, solemnly descends during the last minute of the outgoing year to the jubilant cries of the people gathered on the square and the audience of millions of viewers. It is said that the number of viewers watching this attraction reaches a billion people around the world.

The Tournament of Roses and Pantomime Parade festivals are very popular among Americans and numerous tourists who come to the United States for the New Year holidays.

The Tournament of Roses has been held every year since 1890 on January 1st in Pasadena, California. As the name implies, the main theme of the parade is the flower festival. This colorful and grandiose show was conceived by the people of Pasadena to demonstrate the beauty and wealth of their warm state, as opposed to the snowy January New York. Preparations for the parade go on throughout the year, and the holiday ends with the traditional Pink Ball football match.

The Pantomime Parade was first organized in Philadelphia by immigrants from Ireland. This grandiose and very long ten-hour show is a colorful parade of artists, musicians, singers, clowns, mimes and dancers marching through the streets of the city and demonstrating their art to numerous spectators. Tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world come to Philadelphia to look at this grandiose bright spectacle on January 1 of each year.

The custom of celebrating the New Year with a glass of sparkling wine or champagne has taken root in the United States, but they don’t give gifts for the New Year, because. a huge number of gifts have already been given for Christmas. Much attention is paid to decorating your home for Christmas in America. Depending on their financial capabilities, Americans strive to decorate their house or apartment to the maximum, this is not limited only to the installation of a Christmas tree, they use a huge number of electric garlands, figures of baby Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Joseph, the Magi, Santa Claus and various fairy-tale characters . Often these figures are life-sized and can move. The spectacle is fascinating and accessible to everyone, in the case when they are exhibited by the owners in front of their homes. Sometimes there are overt or covert competitions between house owners - who is better, smarter, more beautiful, wittier and more expensive to decorate their house and yard for the holiday. It's clear that all this beauty remains before new year holiday. Therefore, by the New Year's Eve, all of America sparkles and shimmers.

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas!

When is New Year celebrated in America? and got the best answer

Answer from ZOSIC[guru]
In the United States, the celebration of the New Year is closely associated with the celebration of Christmas (December 25, according to the new style). The New Year itself is not such a big holiday for Americans, and it is celebrated mainly by people from other countries (for example, from the CIS). Americans are likely to celebrate New Year's Eve among friends, watching entertainment programs on TV, or in theaters, nightclubs and restaurants.
Although New Year's Day is officially celebrated on January 1st in the United States, it begins on December 31st. By tradition, until midnight, everyone sees off old year, and then meet the next one. Exactly at midnight, after the ringing of bells, fireworks take off into the air, champagne corks, howling sirens and car horns announce the beginning of the New Year. People hug and kiss each other, wish happiness. Americans have champagne on their tables (drinking a glass of sizzling drink at midnight is an established tradition) and snacks - nuts, cheese, cookies. It is not customary to eat and drink, and gifts are not given that night. In the outgoing year, sentimental Americans sing an old song written back in the 18th century called “Auld Lang Syne” (approximate translation is “Good Old Times”). It is a good tradition to sing about friends and old times.
Parades are held in some major cities in the United States on January 1st. Admittedly, the most cheerful and numerous of them is the New Year's parade in New York's Times Square.

Answer from Yatiana Kolupaeva[newbie]
New year in the USA (eng. New Year's Day) is one of public holidays countries. It is celebrated on January 1 of each year according to the Gregorian calendar. Despite the fact that the popularity of the New Year is inferior to catholic christmas, especially in more religious and conservative rural areas, in a number of US cities, their own new year traditions. By the way, Christmas and New Year in the USA differ greatly in their spiritual content. Christmas is an important intra-family holiday, filled with religious symbolism, and New Year's Eve is public and often takes place as a party with friends in a club, casino, or city square. Most of the country 's casinos offer free champagne toasts in their lobby on New Year 's Eve . The English Puritans were introduced to the celebration of the New Year by the more liberal Dutch colonists, the founders of New York, so it is in this city that the celebration of the New Year is of the most solemn nature. Its main meeting place is Times Square, where on New Year's Eve, more than a hundred thousand people wait for the descent of a shiny ball - a symbol of the New Year.

Answer from Dasha Vereyutina[expert]
In general, on the night of December 25-26. But visitors to America celebrate like everyone else on the night of December 31 to January 1