New Year’s Eve
Count down the hours to the New Year on #New Year’s Eve
31 December is annually celebrated as New Year’s Eve, and is also known as Old Year’s Day or Saint Sylvester’s Day.
Honouring the end of one year goes hand in hand with celebrating new beginnings in the new one and New Year’s Eve has been celebrated for millennia.
Celebrating New Year’s Eve usually consists of counting down the hours and seconds of the old year. It’s normally a good time to look back on the year and reminisce with friends and family too.
Some New Year’s Eve traditions around the world include:
• In Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, it is traditional to eat 12 grapes during the count-down to midnight, symbolising hopes for the new year.
• Around the world, eating anything in the form of a circle or ring symbolises coming full circle and is considered good luck.
• As a Christian observance, it is traditional to hold an evening Mass the night before a Holy Day.
• New Year’s Day in the Roman Catholic Church honours the Virgin Mary.
• In some countries, Saint Sylvester, the Catholic Pope from 314 to 335, is celebrated on New Year’s Eve.
Use #NewYear’sEve to post on social media.
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