New Year’s Eve in Great Britain

4.9

Part I

The 1st of January, New Year’s Day, is a big holiday in Scotland. People do not work on that day, and children do not go to school. Scottish people celebrate New Year’s Eve in every family. Friends usually come on that day. They have a good dinner. After dinner there are apples, other fruit, and different sweets to eat. Then all the family and the friends begin to play games and dance.

Before 12 o’clock at night many people in the towns go out into the streets to dance and to sing Scottish songs. When the town clocks begin to strike twelve, the people cross their arms, join hands and sing the famous Scottish song “Auld Lang Syne”. It is about the old days and friendship between the people. Robert Burns, Scotland’s great poet wrote the words of the song. The music of the song is also Scottish.

Then people wish a Happy New Year to all and go home to meet the first-footers. A first-footer is a man who comes first to a house on the 1st of January, on New Year’s Day. Long ago people thought that the man who comes first to a house on New Year’s Day will bring good luck to the family, if he is a friend. Today the first-footer must be a man with dark hair and he must bring with him a little piece of coal, a little money and a little piece of bread. These things show that the family will be warm and they will have food and money all the year.

When the first-footer comes into a house, he wishes a Happy New Year to all the members of the family, talks to them, eats and drinks something and then goes to another house.

Part II

In England on the 1st of January people do not go to work, and children do not go to school, but New Year’s Day is not a big holiday. Very many people go to bed before 12 o’clock on New Year’s Eve. But some families celebrate this evening at home. They organize a party or a dance for the young people of the family and for their friends.

At 12 o’clock in the night the young people go out into the streets and the squares. In London they go to Trafalgar Square. In this square they see a great tree brightly decorated with little lamps. This great tree comes from Norway. The people of Norway send a tree every year to the people of England.

When the largest clock of London—Big Ben—begins to strike twelve, the people in the square join hands and sing “Auld Lang Syne”. The New Year has begun. A Happy New Year to all!