Презентация по английскому языку "New Year in different countries"

New Year in different countries.
customs and traditions.

In the USA, New York, a lot of people gather in Times Square and watch the 'Big Apple' fall. Every New Year's Eve during the last few seconds before midnight it starts to 'fall' down the building, and when it gets to the bottom. It's the start of the new year.

Australia is sometimes called "the upside down word". It lies in the Southern Hemisphere. During the Christmas holidays people often sunbathe on the beach or swim and surf in the ocean. On the 31st of December many people go to the country for the picnic.

In Japan housewives start cooking special food for New Year’s Day and all the members of the family do a big cleaning up. The idea is to get rid of the dirt of the past year, and welcome the New Year without it. People eat the special food and drink rice wine during the meal.

In Italy it can be dangerous to have a walk at night at the end of December. People usually throw the old things from the house through the window broken cups and plates, old clothes and boots and sometimes different pieces of furniture. 

People in Scotland call the New Year’s Eve “Hogmanay”. They visit their friends’ houses just after midnight on the New Year’s night.  At midnight when the clock begins to strike twelve, the head of the family goes to the entrance door, opens it wide and holds it until the last stroke. Then he shuts the door. He has let the old year out and let the New Year in.

In Brazil people gather in large noisy companies and go to cafes, nightclubs. 
They throw flowers, soap, candles and any other objects into the ocean as a gift to the goddess of the Sea and jump over seven waves. 

In France people love to decorate their homes with bouquets of flowers and twigs of mistletoe. People believe that the mistletoe branch brings good luck to the house for the whole year. The French celebrate the New Year in restaurants, wearing funny pointed hats, and confetti showering each other.

Chinese New Year's Day is the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar. The date is different each year on the Gregorian calendar, but is always between January 21th and February 20th. Streets and houses are decorated with red. Red is the main color for the festival. Red lanterns hang in streets. Red couplets and pictures of prosperity are pasted on doors. 

The Festival of Lights, known as ‘Diwali’ marks the beginning of New Year in India. Its celebration includes millions of lights shining on housetops, outside doors and windows. In the east, the festival is devoted to Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. Lakshmi brings gifts to children.