masterwordsmith-unplugged

As we savor the last few hours of 2009, I thought I'd put up a post on the traditions of New Year that various communities observe. In Penang, it is common for revellers to congregate either at Gurney Drive or Esplanade and watch concerts for the countdown. At the stroke of midnight, there is usually lots of fireworks. Hopefully, the revelers will not turn rowdy as in the past. Wherever you may be celebrating the end of 2009 and welcoming 2010, here's wishing you safety, love and happiness. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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In France, New Year's Eve is: La Saint-Sylvestre Jour de l'An (New Year's Day)

The French call New Year's Eve La Saint-Sylvestre. It is celebrated with a feast called le Réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre. This tradition includes dishes such as foie gras washed down with champagne. The event can be a dinner with friends and family or a communal ball (une soirée dansante).

Following la Saint-Sylvestre is Jour de l'An (New Year's Day); this is a time for meeting friends and family and exchanging good wishes and maybe gifts. The French round off the holiday season on Epiphany.

Italy - La Festa di San Silvestro

Germany - Saint Sylvester

Chaul Chnam Thmey - Cambodia

Ōmisoka - Japan

German New Year Tradition - Neujahrsbräuche

Bleigießen pronounced BLYE-ghee-sen) 'Lead pouring' (das Bleigießen) is an old custom where sages read molten lead, much like mystics read tea leaves. What they do is melt a lead cherry sized piece of lead a tablespoon (by holding a flame under the spoon) and then poured the molten lead into a bowl of water. The resulting pattern is interpreted to predict the coming year. Common interpretations include, a ball (der Ball), indicates that luck will roll your way. What people fear is any sign of a cross pattern (das Kreuz) as that signifies a death.

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Happy New Year - In Different Languages

Note: In some languages the accents are important, for example in Spanish you really do need the tilde over the 'n' in Año.

Language

Happy New Year
Afrikaans Gelukkige nuwe jaar
Arabic Sana Sa-eeda
Bengali Shuvo Nabo Barsho
Cambodian Soursdey Chhnam Tmei
Catalan Feliç Any Nou
Chinese Xin Nian Kuai Le
Croatian Sretna Nova godina
Danish Godt Nytar
Dutch Gelukkig Nieuwjaar
Eskimo Kiortame pivdluaritlo
Esperanto Felican Novan Jaron
Finnish Onnellista Uutta Vuotta
French Bonne Année
Gaelic Bliadhna mhath ur
German Prosit Neujahr
Greek Kenourios Chronos
Hawaiian Hauoli Makahiki Hou
Hebrew L'Shannah Tovah
Hindi Naye Varsha Ki Shubhkamanyen
Hong Kong Sun Leen Fai Lok
Hungarian Boldog Ooy Ayvet
Indonesian Selamat Tahun Baru
Iranian Saleh now mobarak
Iraqi Sanah Jadidah
Irish Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit
Italian Felice anno nuovo
Icelandic Farsælt komandi ár
Japanese Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu
Korean Saehae Bock Mani ba deu sei yo
Kurdish Newroz Pirozbe
Latvian Laimīgo Jauno Gadu!
Lithuanian Laimingu Naujuju Metu
Maltese Is Senat Tajba
Nepal Nawa Barsha ko Shuvakamana
Norwegian Godt Nyttår
Papua N Guinea Nupela yia i go long yu
Persian Saleh now ra tabrik migouyam
Philippines Manigong Bagong Taon
Polish Szczesliwego Nowego Roku
Portuguese Feliz Ano Novo
Punjabi Nave sal di mubarak
Romanian An Nou Fericit
Russian С Новым Годом (S Novim Godom)
Samoa Manuia le Tausaga Fou
Serbo-Croatian Sretna nova godina
Slovak A stastlivy Novy Rok
Slovenian Sreèno novo leto
Somali Iyo Sanad Cusub Oo Fiican
Spanish Féliz Año Nuevo
Swahili Heri Za Mwaka Mpyaº
Swedish Gott nytt år!
Sudanese Warsa Enggal
Tamil Eniya Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal
Thai Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkish Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian С Новым Годом Z novym rokom
Urdu Naya Saal Mubbarak Ho
Vietnamese Chuc Mung Tan Nien
Welsh Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

Finally, SELAMAT TAHUN BARu 2010!!! Have a great new year, dear reader.