New Year in Italy

The New Year is one of the oldest festivals of the world, dating back to the pre historic era. The celebration of the New Year was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. At present, New Year is celebrated on January 1 and it had been an essential part of the cultural and traditional practices of the different communities inhabiting the world. New Year's Day is the first day of the year and is an occasion that witnesses the biggest annual celebration across all countries of the world. It is the time when we ring out the old year and welcome the present year with open arms, with eyes filled with new dreams and hearts replete with new expectations.

So in many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner. I would like to tell about New Year in Italy. "Buon capodanno” is called New Year in Italian. New Year is the time of joy and merriment in Italy. It is one of the main festivals in the country and is celebrated by millions of people. The country is known for rich culture and tradition and lots of New Year traditions in Italy bring out the rich culture that is associated with various festivals in the country. Italians are holy people and known for piousness towards their religion. Thousands of people gather at the churches and cathedrals to attend the midnight mass to welcome the year ahead. This is considered to be one of the main New Year traditions in Italy.

Also lighting fireworks ranks are among the important New Year traditions in Italy. Major fireworks competitions are also held in the major cities like Rome, Milan, and Florence and so on. The best display of fireworks during New Year takes place in the city of Naples. Fire crackers in Italy are known as petards. The fire works are considered auspicious as they drive out the evil forces of the previous year and welcome the year ahead with lights. Italians love dancing and as such it is one of the major New Year traditions in Italy. Thousands of people come out in the streets and indulge in dancing and merrymaking. Young people and women dress themselves in bright colors and take part in the dancing celebrations.

Food is one of the major parts of the New Year celebrations in Italy. It is a custom that is followed in Italy of having lentils for dinner. The lentils are believed to bring money and good fortune for the coming year. Most parts of Italy have "cotechino”, a large spiced sausage, or a "zampone”, stuffed pig's trotter for dinner on New Year. It is a belief by the people in Italy that having pork for the New Year dinner would bring richness of life for the coming year. "Spumante” or "prosecco” is an Italian sparkling wine. The New Year in Italy is celebrated with this Italian wine. The important New Year custom in Italy is to make the New Year parties whether private or public to last long that is till sunrise. This is done in order to watch the first sunrise of the Newborn Year.

In conclusion last New Year custom that the people in Italy follow is throwing out their old things out of the window. It symbolizes to forget the old year and getting ready to accept the coming New Year with joy and contentment. So I would like to visit Italy in New Year very much, because this country has really interesting traditions and customs and I think that New Year’s celebration in Italy is so kind, merry and friendly festival.