New Year
Description:
New Year’s Day in Germany is called Silvester (Sylvester). However, not every German is familiar with this saint, whose life and activities were not connected with the New Year and the calendar, just the last day of the outgoing year, December 31 - the date of his death and the day of his commemoration.
“What are you doing on New Year’s Eve?” is a question you can’t ask in Germany. On New Year’s Eve, Germans don’t stay at home.
Even before, friends, colleagues and friends, meeting, wish each other a “good slide into the new year”. Parties, concerts, discos, restaurants are open until morning and are waiting for guests.
On this night, it is difficult to feel lonely, because with the first midnight strike of the clock, people go outside and traffic jams from champagne, rockets, firecrackers fly into the sky, fireworks begin in honor of the New Year. One of the most fantastic holidays in its scope takes place in Berlin: the length of the New Year street party is up to 2 kilometers, and the colorful show in the night sky lasts for more than an hour.
The main attribute of the holiday is spruce. For the ancient Germans, spruce was a sacred tree. They believed that in its needles dwells the spirit of the forests, the protector of nature.
By the New Year in Germany, houses are decorated with colorful garlands, wreaths of needles and figures of Santa Claus, and as soon as the clock begins to strike midnight, people of all ages climb onto chairs, tables, chairs and with the last blow amicably, with joyful greetings, “jump” into the New Year. After that, the celebration moves to the street, where it takes on a giant scale: thousands of families at this time go out of their homes to congratulate each other, light the sky with fireworks and, of course, drink champagne.
The custom of greeting the coming year with fireworks also came from antiquity. Shooting guns and guns, people scared away evil spirits.
Residents of some regions of the country shot in the pre-dawn twilight of the first day of the New Year in the gardens to the trees brought a rich harvest this year. It was best not to get into the tree itself.
In Westphalia, the villagers on New Year’s Eve gathered at the blacksmith near his anvil to spend the outgoing year under rhythmic blows.
In the north of Germany, there was another tradition: on the first day of the coming year, children with songs and music went around the house, receiving sweets and small coins from residents.
Raising a glass of champagne, the Germans say "Prosit Neujahr" or "Prost Neujahr". The word "Prost" comes from Latin and translates as "it can succeed."
And of course, luck in the new year is simply guaranteed, if on the first day of the coming year on your table will be fish dishes. Carp is especially popular in Germany. There are many clever recipes for its preparation. And a couple of large circles of his scales are advised to carry in his wallet - this brings wealth.