New Year's Eve is the holiday before New Year's Day, on December 31, the last day of the current year.
Today, Western countries usually celebrate this day with a party which ends with a group countdown to midnight. Party hats, noisemakers, fire crackers and drinking champagne are fairly common during this holiday.
Many towns also have fireworks shows or other noisy ways to start the new year. Places like Berlin, Chicago, Edinburgh, Los Angeles, London, New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Toronto, and Tokyo are well known for their New Year's Eve celebrations.
New Year's Eve is also a work holiday in some countries, such as Australia, Argentina, Brazil, France, Mexico, the Philippines, and Venezuela.
Related pages
- Chinese New Year
- Omisoka (Japan)
Images for kids
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The ball drop in New York City's Times Square attracts an average of 90,000 spectators yearly.
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New Year fireworks over Copenhagen
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Madrid's Puerta del Sol on New Year's Eve, 2005.
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Gothenburg fireworks on New Year's Eve, 2008.
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New Year's Eve decorations in Kadıköy, Istanbul.
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New Year's Eve decorations in Nişantaşı, İstanbul.
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Thousands of people gather in central London for New Year celebrations, including fireworks at the London Eye at midnight
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Hogmanay fireworks in Edinburgh.
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A Mari Lwyd c. 1910–1914. Traditionally carried from door to door during Calennig in Wales
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Casablanca fireworks display.
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The burning of dolls is a local tradition in the city of La Plata.
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The beach at Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro hosts millions of revelers.
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Over one million visitors crowd the streets and beaches of Valparaiso each New Year's Eve.
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Auckland fireworks as seen from Sky Tower.
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Fireworks display in Hong Kong.
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New Year's Eve celebration in Jakarta, Indonesia
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Fireworks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Fireworks in Taipei 101 during New Year's Eve
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John Masey Wright and John Rogers' c. 1841 illustration of Auld Lang Syne.
