Ringing in the New Year in Europe
Each European country greatly varies from others and everyone has their own New Year’s Eve traditions. Here is a look at some European countries and how you can expect to celebrate New Year’s Eve if you would travel there.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In The Netherlands people celebrate Oudejaarsayond or New Year’s Eve with plenty of champagne and oliebollen (deep-fried pieces of dough with apples and raisins). The day before the celebrations begin plenty of fireworks go on sale so you can be sure to hear a lot of blasts and see plenty of colorful rockets exploding in the sky. At midnight people head out into the streets or to the bars, which at this time usually open at midnight. The countdown to the New …show more content…
Residents usually go down Stradun, the main street and fill-up the restaurants and bars. For those with money to spend the best place to go for great meals are the luxury hotels. Here you can have an enjoyable celebration without the over-crowded and noisy celebrations going on in Zagreb or Split.
Madrid, Spain
In Madrid Noche Vieja is celebrated with great joviality and involves a great feast, plenty of wine and a most unusual tradition of having to eat 12 grapes just as the clock chimes midnight. For this reason supermarkets stock up on seedless grapes which are pre-packed in dozens just for this reason. Thousands of people fill Puerta del Sol but the crowds can get a bit unruly. There are parties going on in clubs and bars starting right at midnight but the cost of the tickets can be high and should be purchased ahead of time.
Paris, France
Happy throngs flow out along the Champs-Elysees where everyone can see the Eiffel Tower midnight lights while firecrackers go off. Nightclubs and restaurants hold high-class parties. On New Year’s Day you can see the Grande Parade de Paris with floats, bands and dancers.
Prague, The Czech …show more content…
There are full bars, restaurants and clubs with different events sponsored. For those who wish to celebrate under the stars the parks and squares fill up with people. You can find crowds gathering at one of the most popular landmarks The Freedom Monument. When midnight approaches crowds fill up the bridges connecting the Left and Right Banks of Riga across the River Daugava and along the 11 November Embankment to be able to better see the fireworks display going off at the stroke of midnight. Along the embankment are exciting and vibrant concert programs performed by Latvian artists and plenty of bang and boom when the rockets fly. For people who don’t venture out of their houses there are plenty of New Year’s Eve concerts and other programs on TV and at the stroke of midnight the national anthem is played. We live on the Left Bank in the suburbs and don’t enjoy elbowing the crowds. However at midnight we get plenty of fireworks when we go out into the street to see how our neighbors compete with each other. It becomes quite a war zone and all that would be needed to make it a complete spectacular is the sound of some great fireworks music. Perhaps this year I can blast some from my stereo with open
Each European country greatly varies from others and everyone has their own New Year’s Eve traditions. Here is a look at some European countries and how you can expect to celebrate New Year’s Eve if you would travel there.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In The Netherlands people celebrate Oudejaarsayond or New Year’s Eve with plenty of champagne and oliebollen (deep-fried pieces of dough with apples and raisins). The day before the celebrations begin plenty of fireworks go on sale so you can be sure to hear a lot of blasts and see plenty of colorful rockets exploding in the sky. At midnight people head out into the streets or to the bars, which at this time usually open at midnight. The countdown to the New …show more content…
Residents usually go down Stradun, the main street and fill-up the restaurants and bars. For those with money to spend the best place to go for great meals are the luxury hotels. Here you can have an enjoyable celebration without the over-crowded and noisy celebrations going on in Zagreb or Split.
Madrid, Spain
In Madrid Noche Vieja is celebrated with great joviality and involves a great feast, plenty of wine and a most unusual tradition of having to eat 12 grapes just as the clock chimes midnight. For this reason supermarkets stock up on seedless grapes which are pre-packed in dozens just for this reason. Thousands of people fill Puerta del Sol but the crowds can get a bit unruly. There are parties going on in clubs and bars starting right at midnight but the cost of the tickets can be high and should be purchased ahead of time.
Paris, France
Happy throngs flow out along the Champs-Elysees where everyone can see the Eiffel Tower midnight lights while firecrackers go off. Nightclubs and restaurants hold high-class parties. On New Year’s Day you can see the Grande Parade de Paris with floats, bands and dancers.
Prague, The Czech …show more content…
There are full bars, restaurants and clubs with different events sponsored. For those who wish to celebrate under the stars the parks and squares fill up with people. You can find crowds gathering at one of the most popular landmarks The Freedom Monument. When midnight approaches crowds fill up the bridges connecting the Left and Right Banks of Riga across the River Daugava and along the 11 November Embankment to be able to better see the fireworks display going off at the stroke of midnight. Along the embankment are exciting and vibrant concert programs performed by Latvian artists and plenty of bang and boom when the rockets fly. For people who don’t venture out of their houses there are plenty of New Year’s Eve concerts and other programs on TV and at the stroke of midnight the national anthem is played. We live on the Left Bank in the suburbs and don’t enjoy elbowing the crowds. However at midnight we get plenty of fireworks when we go out into the street to see how our neighbors compete with each other. It becomes quite a war zone and all that would be needed to make it a complete spectacular is the sound of some great fireworks music. Perhaps this year I can blast some from my stereo with open