New Year's 2025
New Year's
is a time for celebration and reflection, and it is a holiday that is celebrated around the world, including in Europe. Each European country has its own unique traditions and ways of marking the occasion, and many of these traditions have been passed down for generations.
When it's New Year's 2025?
Western
01 Jan 2025Wednesday
Eastern
13 Jan 2025Monday
While New Year's celebrations may look different around Europe, the holiday is a time for people to come together and mark the passing of one year into the next. It is a time for celebration, reflection, and setting goals for the future. Whether you are attending a grand celebration or spending a quiet evening at home, New Year's is a time to celebrate and look forward to all that the new year has to offer.
In Ireland, it is traditional to spend New Year's Eve at a "hunting the wren" party. At these parties, a group of people, led by a "wrenboy," go from house to house singing and dancing, and a wren is often placed in a holly bush as a symbol of the new year. In Germany, it is common to drop molten lead into chilly water and then interpret the shapes that are formed to predict the future. In the Czech Republic, people sign their names on the wall of the Old Town Square in Prague and then come back at midnight to see if their name has been crossed out – if it has, it is believed to be a sign of good luck for the year ahead.
New Year’s
Eve is the last day of the year which occurs on December 31 six days after Christmas Day. New Year’s Eve is often celebrated at evening social gatherings, where many people dance, drink alcohol, and watch or light fireworks to mark the new year.
New Year's Customs throughout Europe
Tradition in:
In Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia it is traditional to celebrate New Year's Eve with a big feast and to exchange gifts with loved ones. It is also common to attend a New Year's Eve party or to go out to a restaurant or club to celebrate.
Tradition in:
It is common to drop molten lead into icy water and then interpret the shapes that are formed to predict the future. It is also traditional to celebrate with a big feast and to exchange gifts with loved ones.
Tradition in:
It is customary to eat grapes as the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve – one grape for each chime of the clock, for a total of twelve grapes. It is also traditional to celebrate with a big feast and to exchange gifts with loved ones.
Tradition in:
It is common to eat a cake called a "galette des rois," which is a puff pastry filled with frangipane, on New Year's Day. It is also traditional to celebrate with a big feast and to exchange gifts with loved ones.
Tradition in:
In Ireland, it is traditional to spend New Year's Eve at a "hunting the wren" party. At these parties, a group of people, led by a "wrenboy," go from house to house singing and dancing, and a wren is often placed in a holly bush as a symbol of the new year. It is also common to celebrate with a big feast and to exchange gifts with loved ones.
Tradition in:
In the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), it is common to celebrate New Year's Eve with a big feast and to exchange gifts with loved ones. It is also traditional to attend a New Year's Eve party or to go out to a restaurant or club to celebrate. In Denmark, it is customary to eat boiled cod with mustard sauce on New Year's Eve.