Ready or not, here it comes!  2009 will be here in a couple of days.  Here are some traditions across the globe that will be taking place at the stroke of midnight on (or around) December 31^st.  They are all believed to bring good fortune and prosperity in the coming year.

Take a look, and then let us know some traditions in your culture.

AUSTRIA

In Austria, folks will be feasting on the suckling pig.  It is the symbol for good luck for the New Year.  Afterwards, green peppermint ice cream in the shape of a four-leaf clover is served for desert.

BELGIUM

The people of Belgium call New Year’s Eve “Saint Sylvester Eve”.  At family parties, kisses are shared, good luck greetings are exchanged, and toasts to absent relatives and friends are recited.   

The cities, cafés, and restaurants are crowded with people who bid farewell to the Old Year. New Year’s Day is called Nieuwjaarsdag at this time of the year the children save money to buy decorated paper for writing holiday greetings to parents and god parents.

DENMARK

A pile of broken dishes are found at the door as a symbol that you have many friends.  In Denmark, old dishes are saved year round to throw them at the homes where their friends live on New Year’s Eve. 

Respectively the monarch’s New Year Speech and the striking of midnight by the Town Hall Clock in Copenhagen are two important items broadcast on television and radio. 

CHINA

“Yuan Tan” or the Chinese New Year is celebrated between January 21^st and February 20^th.  The exact date is determined by the lunar calendar, a new moon marks the beginning of each month.

Because red is the symbol of good luck and happiness in their culture, the Chinese paints their front doors red for the coming year.  Families prepare a huge feast for the New Year without any knives.  The knives are put away for 24 hours to keep anyone from cutting themselves, but not for their safety.  It is thought that if someone gets cut so will the family’s good luck.

WALES

At the first toll of midnight, the back door is opened and then shut to kick out the old year and all of its bad luck. Then at the twelfth stroke of the clock, the front door is opened to welcome the New Year with all its luck.

SPAIN

The Spanish grabs a bunch of grapes as the clock nears midnight.  They eat 12 grapes, one with every toll, to bring good luck for the 12 months ahead.

Say “Happy New Year” in other languages (or at least attempt)

French – bonne année

Chinese – xin nian hao

Spanish – feliz año nuevo

Greek – eutichismenos o kainourgios chronos (we wish you a happy new year)

Hawaiian – hauoli makahiki hou

Italian – felice anno nuovo

Latin – felix sit annus novus

Swedish – gott nytt år

Vietamese – yangi yilingiz qutlug’ bo’lsin

Yiddish – a gut yohr

Russian – S novim godom