British New Year

BRITISH NEW YEAR

• The inherent symbolism in passing from the old year to the new has characterised the ritual and ceremony around the British New Year since  Pagan  times.  Culture Trip  chronicles the ways in which this celebration has changed over time.
• In Celtic times smoke was believed to ward off evil spirits and fire to entice the sun’s return. Fire rituals remain central to festivals in Scotland and Northern England. On New Year’s Eve in  Stonehaven , Grampian, a parade of 60 kilted marchers with pipes and drums swirl balls of fire on wire ropes around their heads. 

New Year’s Eve Fireworks, 

The Bells Are Ringing

• Church bells are traditionally associated with major public events like royal weddings and it was customary for bells to chime at midnight on New Year’s Eve, accompanied by ships’ horns in ports and people running onto the streets banging pots and pans. Today, the clock tower at the Palace of Westminster and the chimes of  Big Ben  are icons of the British New Year.

• New Year’s Eve in Britain  is a normal working day. New Year’s Day was made a public holiday in 1974, now regarded as the end of the festive season and a counterpoint to the family focus of Christmas. Brits may spend Christmas with family and see friends on New Year’s Eve. Since the Millennium many cities put on grand public firework displays. Typically a countdown to midnight is followed by Auld Lang Syne and people greeting and embracing each other. Celebrations may go on well into New Year’s Day. So, as you sip your festive fizz and watch the sky light up with fireworks, consider how the British New Year has evolved since the Dark Ages.

Britain