New Year's Eve in United Kingdom
What do people do?
Many people spend most of December 31 quietly. They
may spend time outdoors, reading the reviews of the last year in newspapers or
resting in preparation for the New Year's Eve parties that begin in the late
afternoon or evening. People who host parties may spend a large part of the day
preparing food and arranging drinks. In the evening, New Year's Eve parties
usually go on for many hours, well beyond midnight. Some, particularly young
people, may choose to spend the evening in pubs, clubs or discos. Although
there are many who celebrate the event responsibly with moderate amounts of
alcohol, some celebrate the event with large amounts of alcohol, which can lead
to fights and other acts of foolishness in the early hours of the morning.
Just
before midnight, people turn on a radio or television to see the countdown of
the last few minutes of the old year and the display of fireworks just after
midnight. At this point, people often hug and kiss each other, even strangers,
and many start singing Auld Lang Syne, a poem written by Scottish poet Robert
Burns. In Scotland, the Hogmanay celebrations may last for one or two more
days, as both January 1 and 2 are bank holidays. In the rest of the United
Kingdom, only January 1 is a bank holiday.
In Scotland and some parts of northern England, people
may spend the last few hours of December 31 preparing to be or receive
first-footers. The first person to cross the threshold of a house after the
start of the new year is a first-footer. First-footers are usually men and in
different areas have different physical characteristics, such as blond or dark
hair, bring different kinds of luck to the household in the coming year. They
bring gifts, such as whiskey, shortbread, coal and fruit cake, which are then
shared among all of the guests.
Public life
December 31 is not a public holiday. However, schools
are closed for the Christmas holidays and many people have a day off work or
leave earlier than usual. Stores and post offices are generally open, but may
close earlier than usual. Public transport systems may run to their usual
schedule, but they may have a reduced service or close down totally in the late
afternoon or evening.
In some big cities, public transport services resume
services around midnight to enable people attending large scale events to
return home safely. Entrance to pubs, clubs and discos may be by invitation or
a pre-booked ticket only. Major train and bus stations may be congested as many
young people travel to spend New Year's Eve and Day with friends.
Background
Midwinter celebrations have been held by the people of
the British Isles since ancient times. These often included parties, special
food and large fires to "tempt" the sun to return. After the
introduction of Christianity, some aspects of these were included in
celebrating Jesus' birth at Christmas. However, this was resisted by the
Scottish Presbyterian church. For this reason, Hogmanay was the main winter
festival in Scotland until the 1970s. Both Christmas and Hogmanay are now
celebrated in Scotland.
Symbols
One of the most widely known symbols of New Year's Eve
is the image of the Clock Tower at the Palace of Westminster, in London,
counting down the last minutes of the old year. The first chimes of Big Ben,
the bell housed in the Clock Tower, in the new year are broadcast live on radio
and television. This is followed by a spectacular fireworks performance, often
centered on the London Eye, which is claimed to be the largest Ferris wheel in
Europe.
