The first day of the Georgian calendar, i.e. January 1 is celebrated as New Year in the North American country of Canada. New Year Day is observed as a legitimate holiday in the whole of Canada. In case, if New Year Day falls on any of the day of a weekend, then the very next weekday is allotted as a substitute public holiday.
New Year Celebrations in Canada
New Year is considered to be an important time by the Canadian people, and therefore, grand preparations go into organizing mush grander New Year celebration events.
Prior to the day of the New Year, i.e. on the occasion of New Year Eve’s, small as well as big parties are organized all around the Canada, which go on till the early morning of the New Year Day. Apart from social parties organized in club, bars, and discotheques, people also organize private parties at home in which all near and dear ones are invited. These parties are bursting with great music, great dishes, and vibrant drinking options on the feast. Everyone eat, drink, sing, and dance all through the night till the dawn to mark a grand welcome to the coming time of the New Year.
Party culture is more prominent and visible in the urban part of Canada. People living in rural areas celebrate more of a traditional New Year. People living in the rural part of Canada, and particularly in the Canadian province of Quebec, usually go out with their friends near a pond or a river for ice fishing on New Year’s Eve. They spend the entire night together while ice fishing and celebrating New Year. The long night parties leave little for everyone to hold anything on New Year Day, and therefore, it is mostly spend in resting and recovering. However, some people prefer to plan a picnic to nearby panorama, popular markets, or a tourist place. However, tradition of bursting fireworks is something which is enthusiastically and evenly followed in both the urban and the rural part of Canada.
Other New Year Celebrations in Canada
Some of the most extraordinary crafted show of fireworks occurs in the major cities of Canada including Montreal and the capital city of Ottawa, where technology driven fireworks are blown off as soon as the midnight brings New Year on its rucksack. These firework shows are enthusiastically awaited by everyone. People from distant places come and participate to be a part of such extravagant celebration affairs. They are well complemented by the great music, which is served during the entire night by prominent deejays, musicians, singers, and different bands of the country and the world. These celebrations draw thousands and millions of people from around the globe. With the moment of the arrival of New Year, everyone wish each other, and spiritedly pray for a peaceful and pleasant time ahead. Other than these, there has been an increased trend of organizing sports events, magic shows, and special cultural programs on the occasion. Among sports centered events, the adventurous winter sports of snowboarding and skiing draw maximum visitors.
Traditional New Year Celebrations in Canada
There are few customs and traditions which are rigorously followed with a belief that they bring good luck, peace, and prosperity to everyone. One such belief calls for going for a polar bear swim on New Year. There is also a tradition of clapping and roaring at the time of midnight when New Year arrives in Canada. It is done with a belief that it sways away all the past evils and negative energies. In Canada, kissing is considered to be a traditional way of showing love and conferring wishes to someone, and also a way of strengthening pleasant ties with people. Therefore, people in Canada prefer to kiss and wish Happy New Year in the midnight. Also, exchanging New Year gifts is also a way of expressing New Year wishes in Canada.
First footing tradition is also prominently followed in Canada, as a part of which a male and preferably a young person is expected to enter the household on the midnight of New Year. Other than that, consuming a bowl of black-eyed pea soup, collecting coals from hearth in the midnight, visiting friends’ place in early hours of New Year, etc. are other prominent New Year customs, which are still followed by almost everyone in Canada.