Hey Nordicos! It is already almost the time to say goodbye to the year 2021! This time we wanted to tell you more about nordic New Year traditions; what unites them and what is completely different. Let’s dive into the Nordic countries one by one. First we will start from Sweden:
NEW YEAR IN SWEDEN: “Gott Nytt Ar!” (Happy New Year!)
- During the old days the New Year´s tradition in Sweden was to shoot towards each point of the compass. These shootings were meant to keep away evil and from there originated today´s firewrok celebartions at midnight.
DENMARK: “Godt Nytår!”
- One of really old (and weird) tradition in Denmark is to break dishes on the doorsteps of friends and neighbours on New Year’s Eve. The more broken dishes you find on your doorsteps, the more friends you have…
- It is also considered to bring you good luck to jump into the air from chair just when the clock strikes midnight.
NEW YEAR IN NORWAY: “Godt nyttår!”
- There is a Halloween like tradition in Norway on New Year’s Eve, which is called ‘Nyttarsbukk’. People dress up fancy and visit friends and family members, who in return treat them with drinks and food.
- They also prepare the symbolic dish of rice pudding with an almond in it. The lucky one who gets to eat the almond is believed to benefit with a sweet year ahead.
FINLAND: “Hyvää uutta vuotta!”
- Finns used to be very superstitious in the old times. They used to cast tin and interpret its shapes. If the tin came out patchy it was believed to bring prosperity for the next year.
- Like in Sweden, Finland also believed that bad spirits were around. The evil was scared away by being very noisy and setting on fires. It leads to the current tradition of shooting fireworks at the New Year Eve.
All nordic countries:
Most importantly New Year’s Eve in Nordics is a time for celebration and optimism. Saying goodbye to the past year and leaving problems behind. Most of the nordicos prepare a dinner with close friends or family and shoot fireworks at midnight. And consume a LOT of alcohol… Each nordic country have their very own traditions to welcome the new coming year.
We hope you got inspired by our Nordic New Year´s Eve traditions -compilation. It is always nice to have inspiration from other cultures. But please remember not to go break plates on your neighbors doorsteps if you are not in Denmark. 😀
We wish you relaxing Holidays and a Happy New Year!
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