All over the world people are sure to celebrate the New Year. Of course, this event for different peoples does not fall on the same day (and not even on the same month). Of course, among the tribes forgotten by civilization (fortunately), this holiday is called differently. But its essence does not change. It is even possible that somewhere it is not customary to give New Year's gifts or, conversely, it is considered good form to put a relative (or neighbor) under the tree (or palm tree) as a present, say, the scalp of his enemy. However, in any case, the New Year exists for all people, and this holiday is merry.
Jolly log
In Ancient Babylon, the New Year fell in the spring. It was office plankton-like fun: “Hurray! The bosses have left! And all because during the holiday, the person reigning at that moment in Babylon, along with all the ministers, left the city, giving the citizens the opportunity to drink wine and have fun without having to break their hat in front of the government corteges. It was also allowed to speak out loudly to the authorities, having a chance at the same time to keep their head safe and sound.
The Vikings were very fond of the New Year's holiday and began to prepare for it ahead of time - in fact, already in the process of meeting the previous one. Taking the first cup and listening to the congratulations of the leaders, the heads of families quickly went into the forest and cut down the thickest tree they could find for themselves. The resulting log was dried until the next New Year, with the onset of which it was supposed to be put in the hearth and set on fire. This festive log was supposed to be burned to embers, and then the owners of the house were waiting for wealth and good luck. If the log was extinguished without completely burning out, it’s a problem, the year will be bad, and in general it’s not worth living any longer.
In England, covered with fogs and drenched with rains, the New Year was also celebrated, but somehow sluggish and cloudy (according to the weather). Such raw and prim fun continued until, in fact, the Vikings sailed to the British Isles with their logs. By showing the British how to properly chop, dry, and most importantly, set fire to the holiday tree, and explaining the consequences of its incomplete combustion, the Vikings thus brought a spark of joy to the inhabitants of Foggy Albion.
You will eat
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Perhaps the most altruistic custom of celebrating the New Year exists in Tibet. There, local residents bake pies en masse for the holiday and distribute them for free to everyone. The few passers-by who have already gorged themselves on offerings in panic try to escape and hide from the next treat, but the hospitable owners catch up with them and almost force them to eat the next pie. And all because the more baked goods the family distributes (you cannot throw it away!), The more happiness awaits him next year.
In Greenland, food is quite difficult, so local Eskimos prefer to give their friends, relatives and just passers-by for the holiday objects of art, which they themselves make from ice. With him in Greenland, as you know, everything is in order. And since the temperature on this island is most often kept below zero, the ice gifts are stored for a very long time.
It's funny
And then we will list the most interesting and, perhaps, little-known facts about celebrating the New Year in different countries.
So, in Micronesia on the night of January 1, every local resident invents a new name for himself and in a whisper (so that evil spirits do not hear) informs the closest.
Numerous firecrackers and fireworks were invented in China as a defense against the same evil spirits and are now used everywhere.
According to statistics, everyone turns to Santa Claus (Santa Claus) on New Year's Eve. from small to large. Children most often want a computer, and adults … usually ask the all-powerful grandfather to “freeze” their immediate superiors for at least a year.
In Cambodia, cold and snow are absent by definition, and therefore the main character of the holiday there is not called Santa Claus, but Father Zhar.
For the same reason, in Australia, Santa Claus in swimming trunks with a bag of gifts "cuts" along the coast on a jet ski.
In Cuba, just before the holiday, all dishes in the house are filled with water, and at midnight they are thrown out into the street, thus washing away all their sins.
In Bulgaria at midnight the lights are turned off for three minutes, and everyone can kiss anyone without any (at least bad) consequences for themselves.
In Austria, you will not find poultry dishes on the festive table. This is because among such “inhabitants” of the tree as angels, squirrels, nuts, and other toys, there is a figurine “bird of happiness”. Eating a bird on New Year's, according to the Austrians, is like eating your own happiness.
Interestingly, in Germany, Santa Nikolaus neatly lays out all the gifts with German pedantry on the windowsill, and Yul Tomten in Sweden knocks down in a heap next to the stove or other heating device.
Everything will come true
They say that on New Year's Eve, you need to write your most cherished desire on a piece of paper and set it on fire with the beginning of the chiming clock. If it completely burns out before the last blow is sounded, then the desire will certainly come true. So be humble and keep it short.
There is a belief that the New Year's dream will definitely come true. However, before a winter holiday it may not be prophetic, but quite ordinary. How to understand this issue, to understand that the dreamed dream is prophetic? Such dreams, as a rule, are colored, with vivid details, their plots are quite clear and complete. These dreams can be viewed as messages from the subtle world. Having received such a message, a person immediately wakes up and does not forget for a long time what he saw in a dream …
If you suddenly have free time on New Year's Eve, you can tell fortunes. After asking a question (which implies the answer "yes" or "no"), take a handful of rice, as much as you can fit in your hand, and count the grains. If their number is even, the answer to your question is yes.
Magazine: Secrets of the 20th century №53. Author: Konstantin Karelov