How to celebrate the New Year in Great Britain. English New Year's table. New Year traditions in Scotland

Celebration in the UK New Year(English New Year) takes place on the night of December 31 to January 1 according to the Gregorian calendar. New Year is considered a less important holiday than Christmas and is therefore celebrated without gifts. However, in Scotland the opposite is true.

New Year, unlike Christmas, is celebrated not only at home with family.

The favorite New Year's delicacies of the British include: apple pie, round oatcakes with a hole in the middle, pudding, kebben cheese, and hot dishes - roast goose, steaks. In Scotland, they also bake an unusual shortbread cake with almonds, nuts, marzipan figures and national symbols made of sugar. Housewives also cook turkey with chestnuts and potatoes, stewed Brussels sprouts and meat pies. The traditional English New Year's drink is punch.

Typically, all New Year's decorations remain in the house from Christmas - these include sprigs of holly, mistletoe and ivy, which are hung above the door, on chandeliers and table lamps. Of course, the central place is occupied by an elegantly decorated spruce.

In Great Britain, it is not customary to give expensive and large New Year's gifts, since the holiday is considered only a continuation of Christmas. However, close people exchange useful little things and souvenirs like key chains, candles or beautiful teaspoons. Gifts are distributed by lot. They also give small cards and Christmas tree decorations.

At the end of December, festive processions take place through the streets of London - the London New Year's Parade, in which more than ten thousand people participate, including musicians, magicians and mummers; Chinese parade with dancing, singing and fireworks; many other street carnivals with the participation of Santa Claus and fairy tale heroes - the March Hare, Punch, Humpty Dumpty.

There are many ancient rituals and observations associated with the New Year in Britain.

• It is customary when the clock begins to strike midnight to open the back door of the house and let out the Old Year, and with the last stroke let the New Year in at the front door.
• · If after the twelfth blow a young man with dark hair (the first guest) enters the house, then the coming year will be successful. The first guest should bring bread, coal and a pinch of salt. After he burns the coal in the fireplace, everyone congratulates each other, and the guest who brought good luck is always fed.
• · Lovers kiss under the mistletoe at the sound of Big Ben - it is believed that this will ensure a strong relationship for them in the new year. Kissing someone standing under the mistletoe in the center of the room is believed to bring good luck and happiness for the whole coming year.
• · On the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, it is customary to set fire to a tar barrel and thereby “get rid” of everything old, including the past year.

· Great Britain

· The end of December attracts tourists to the UK with its New Year sales in boutiques, as well as Christmas festivals and fairs. The New Year is almost not celebrated, and gifts are not accepted on this day. The real holiday is the preceding Christmas; the New Year passes almost unnoticed as a continuation of the Christmas festivities. So if you are going to the UK for the New Year holidays, it is better to arrive early to catch Christmas. But in Scotland everything happens the other way around, as in many other countries, including ours. Also, unlike Christmas, New Year in the UK can be celebrated outside the family circle, this can be done with friends, in a club, and so on. Tourists come to local clubs from other European countries, the fact is that no one can have as much fun on New Year's Eve as in London clubs.

· If valuable gifts are not accepted for the New Year, then it is impossible to come to visit without sweets or champagne; another popular treat on the festive night is apple pie, pudding, kebben cheese, oatcakes, steaks and roast goose. Although instead of champagne, a drink such as punch is often used.

· Festive processions last throughout the end of December, for example serious festivities are held every year in London. New Year's parade with the participation of musicians, mummers, magicians with fireworks. Carnival nights are also organized with the participation of a Chinese or oriental parade.

· Many customs and traditions are associated with the New Year in Great Britain, for example, it is believed that when the clock strikes twelve times you need to open the back door of the house and let out the Old Year, and with the last strike you have time to let the New Year in at the front door, this is possible, of course, if there is availability there is the required number of doors. The first guest to enter the house after the New Year must certainly be a dark-haired young man with bread, coal and salt. He needs to burn the coal in the fireplace, after which the guest must be treated to food from the table.

· Traditionally, young people in love kiss while Big Ben plays under the mistletoe (oak berries are an evergreen shrub).

· If you find yourself in Edinburgh on New Year's Eve, then know that it is customary here to set fire to a barrel of tar on New Year's Eve, thus getting rid of all the failures of the outgoing year.

Christmas is one of the UK's favorite holidays at home. But New Year for the British is something special! Bright fireworks take off, illuminating the already vibrant cities. The streets are filled with people having fun. London clubs are good at any time of the year - some of them are so famous that European youth travel there from Paris and Amsterdam to party! For the New Year's holiday, clubs and restaurants always prepare something special that will capture the imagination of everyone who stops by! In addition to club life, tourists will be able to enjoy music Christmas festivals (until December 23) and seasonal sales in London's largest department stores.

At Christmas, all the windows of rural houses in Great Britain are lit with candles, so among locals the night before Christmas is called “the night of candles.” In England today, on Christmas Eve, instead of the traditional Yule log, a thick Christmas candle is lit. In Wales, lit candles decorated not only private homes in rural areas, but also rural churches and chapels during the Christmas holiday. Candles to decorate the church were made and given to the priest by the residents of the parish. In many villages, shortly before the holiday, women held competitions for the best decoration of Christmas candles. These decorations were made from strips of colored paper, foil, gold and silver threads, bright ribbons, etc. In some areas of Wales, with the same decorations and lit candles in their hands, parish residents went to morning mass, which previously began at 2-3 am. Many similar candles were lit that night in private homes.

Since the Middle Ages, the church began to use old rituals of dressing up in order to give people more vivid impressions of biblical stories. Thus arose “mysteries” - dramatic representations of such religious scenes as the Annunciation, the visit of the infant Christ by the three wise men of the East, etc. Participants in dramatic versions of biblical stories were usually masked or with their faces covered with a scarf, like the performers of ancient pagan rituals. Of the performances of this kind, the dramatic pantomime game about St. was especially widespread among the British. George and the Dragon, widely known in many other countries.

In Scotland in the Middle Ages, a very ancient game was performed at Christmas - pantomime, called goloshan. There are references to this game in old written Scottish sources. A pantomime game similar to Golochan was previously common in those areas of England where Celtic traditions were strong - in Cornwall and the southwestern counties. The play is apparently based on a myth about the resurrection of nature after a long death, since the essence of the play lies in the fact that its main character, called Galgacus, Goloshan or Galatian, is killed in battle by the Macedonian King Falkirk or in other versions by the Black Knight and brought back to life by Dr. Beelzebal or simply Dr. Brown.

The magical significance of the Christmas rituals of mummering was forgotten long ago; now mummering is still preserved throughout England as entertainment; Such rituals are performed in most cases by teenagers. Traces of these ancient magical rituals can be seen in various pantomimes and masquerades organized in England in the past and now. There is information about masquerades and pantomimes at Christmas dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Thus, one of the sources reports that in 1377 a Christmas pantomime was organized at the Scottish royal court for the amusement of little Prince Richard. In the treasury registers of Scotland in the 15th century. The funds spent on organizing court masquerades for Christmas are often listed.

Another interesting custom in Britain was associated with the organization of masquerades: on the 12 days of Christmastide, in each palace or castle, the manager of the entire festival was chosen, called in England the “Lord of Misrule”, and in Scotland - the “Abbot of Mock). The Lord of Disorder was the one who could joke well, organize various entertainments, and carnivals. He himself selected his retinue, the members of which were dressed in bright dresses, decorated with ribbons and bells. In Scotland, the retinue of the “imaginary abbot” included characters typical of folk processions of mummers, such as Hobbie-horse - a guy portraying a horse. Such a noisy company and especially its leader were allowed to do whatever they wanted - break into any houses to play some kind of joke on their inhabitants, arrange games, dances and other entertainment. This custom was banned by Henry VIII.

All these old traditional customs were attacked with great force by the new Protestant Church in the 17th century. The Christmas holiday was especially persecuted in Puritan Scotland. Every pagan rite and custom, even the most innocent, was mercilessly cursed by the church. Thus, according to the records of a church session in 1574, several people were accused of playing, dancing and singing Christmas songs on this holiday. Even baking Christmas bread was considered a crime by the clergy of the Protestant Church. In December 1583, Glasgow bakers were asked to name those for whom they baked Christmas bread. In 1605, five people were summoned to court in Aberdeen for walking around the city wearing masks and dancing at Christmas. Finally, in 1644, the celebration of Christmas was prohibited throughout England by a special act of parliament. In many villages in Scotland, on Christmas Day, men and young men, led by bagpipers and accompanied by many people, went outside the village and played football on some lawn, balls, organized various sports competitions: running, hammer throwing exercises, etc. The winner of all games received a beret decorated with feathers and ribbons; After the competition, the youth sang and danced, and in the evening, led by the winner, returned to the village. In the evening, the winner of the competition presided over the ball.

After such persecution in Scotland, the celebration of Christmas never again reached its former popularity; only a few rituals were preserved, most of them began to coincide with the New Year. And currently, December 24-25 are working days there, and the New Year is considered a holiday - January 1-2. In England, already at the end of the 17th century. Christmas began to be celebrated again, but throughout the 19th century the rituals that accompanied it changed, and by the beginning of the 20th century. From a major social event for the entire community, Christmas became a purely family holiday, only some of its old customs have survived to this day.

For example, the custom of exchanging gifts on Christmas Day is observed everywhere among the English. With the introduction of Christianity, this custom was associated with the bringing of gifts to the baby Jesus by three magicians of the East. In memory of this, gifts are given primarily to children. Gifts are delivered to children by the kind old gentleman Santa Claus, red-cheeked, with a long white beard, dressed in a red fur coat and a tall red hat. Its origin is not entirely clear, but the name Santa Claus itself is a corruption of the name of St. Nicholas and, apparently, came to Britain from southern countries. Some identify Santa Claus with the creatures of the underworld - gnomes, which, in their opinion, confirms his appearance. Usually, not only children, but also adults receive gifts at Christmas; before dinner, they are presented to everyone by the youngest member of the family.

Since the 19th century It has become a custom to exchange greeting cards - instead of the once obligatory personal congratulations on the holiday. In 1843, the first Christmas card was printed in the printing house, and soon their production became a special branch of printing production. In the design of postcards, motifs from old traditional Christmas customs are often found: the robin, which has been around since the 18th century. often replaces the wren in rituals, branches of eternal greenery - holly, ivy, mistletoe, and on Scottish postcards an image of a sprig of heather intertwined with tartan ribbons is the national symbol of Scotland. Such cards are sent in large numbers at Christmas time to all parts of the world to Scottish emigrants as a reminder of the homeland they left behind.

Christmas dinner today includes such traditional dishes as stuffed turkey (in the English) or roast goose (in Wales, Ireland) and the inevitable plum pudding.

The old custom of decorating the house for Christmas with branches of eternal greenery - ivy, holly, etc. is still preserved. As before, a sprig of mistletoe is strengthened above the door. According to custom, a branch of mistletoe gives the right to kiss everyone who enters the door over which it hangs.

Apparently, a late transformation of the custom of decorating houses with eternal greenery was the Christmas tree as a symbol of undying nature. The custom of decorating spruce appeared in England relatively recently, in the middle of the 19th century, and was brought here from Germany. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had their first Christmas tree for their children in Windsor, and the fashion quickly spread. Nowadays, in almost every English home, a Christmas tree is decorated with colorful shiny toys and sweets; a Christmas fairy or a large silver star is usually attached to the top. During the Second World War, a huge spruce tree was first smuggled from occupied Norway to England, where the Norwegian king and government were located at that time, and installed in Trafalgar Square. Since then, such a spruce has been presented every year by the city of Oslo to the British capital, and it is installed on the same square. It is decorated with Christmas tree decorations and multi-colored light bulbs.

Finally, from the once widespread processions of mummers and dramatic performances, Christmas pantomimes and masquerade balls, organized in all theaters and concert halls on Christmastide, originate. The second day of Christmas in the church calendar is dedicated to St. Stephen. In England this day is called Boxing Day. This name comes from the custom of installing special piggy banks in churches before Christmas, where offerings for the poor were placed. On St. Stephen, the pastor distributed the collected money among his parishioners. Later, the boxes were no longer installed in the church, but the poor people of the parish gathered in groups on St. Stefan with a piggy bank went around houses, receiving small coins. Such groups consisted of apprentices, apprentices, messengers, etc. And now there is still a tradition of giving small sums of money to letter carriers, messengers and servants on this day.

In the Middle Ages in rural areas of England on St. Stefan's pets were bled. They believed that such a remedy had a good effect on the health of animals and preserved their strength during hard work. Previously, some old people bled themselves on this day in order to maintain health for the whole year. The same practice of primitive medicine can probably explain another cruel custom of this day, which survived until the end of the 19th century. In some areas of Wales, on this day, men used large bundles of prickly holly to whip the naked arms and legs of women until blood appeared. In Montgomershire, the person who stood up last that day was beaten with bundles of holly.

The first day of the new year is a clear boundary between the recent past and the mysterious future that awaits a person in the coming year. It was with this day that many signs and beliefs were associated, various kinds of fortune-telling, with the help of which people sought to predict the future, tried to protect themselves and their property from the action of evil forces, from various misfortunes.

Farmers noted the weather of the first 12 days of January, because they believed that whatever the day, such would be the weather in the month corresponding to it in order. Rain on New Year's morning foreshadows a bad, lean year. They also tried to determine what the harvest would be like by the outline of the clouds. On New Year's Eve, the Scots also wondered about the fate of the family. To do this, in the evening before going to bed, they covered the burning peat with ash, and in the morning they tried to see a sign on it that resembled a human footprint: if the toe next to the footprint is turned towards the door, then the number of family members this year will decrease, if it is away from the door, it will increase. There is no imprint on the ash, there will be no change.

The custom of “Letting in the New Year” is widespread in the British Isles. In Herdfordshire the custom of letting in the New Year is that when the clock begins to strike 12, the back door of the house is opened to let out the Old Year, and at the last stroke of the clock the front door is opened to let in the New Year. In Scotland, before midnight on farms, a bright fire is lit in the fireplace and the whole family sits around it, waiting for the clock to strike. When the clock hands approach 12, the owner of the house gets up and silently opens the door. He keeps it open until the clock strikes the last stroke. So he lets out the old year and lets in the new one.

And now in the UK they still prepare special traditional dishes for the New Year. For breakfast they usually serve oatcakes, pudding, a special type of cheese - Kebben, for lunch - roast goose or steak, pie, apples baked in dough. New Year's oatcakes among the Celtic peoples had a special shape - round with a hole in the middle. We tried not to break them during baking, as this would be a bad omen.

Currently, in Scotland, a large round sand cake is baked for the New Year's table, with tucks along the edges, decorated with almonds, nuts, sweets, sugar and marzipan figures boiled in sugar. Every year, a huge number of such cakes are sent to all corners of the globe to Scots in exile. They are usually decorated with national emblems - heather, Scottish cross, arms crossed over the sea, mountains, etc.

In Edinburgh, on New Year's Eve there are especially many people on Princes' Street. New Year's services are going on in churches. Fruit and confectionery shops are open all night. The arrival of the New Year is heralded by the ringing of bells, horns and sirens from factories. After 12 o'clock everyone congratulates each other and goes home to the festive tables.

Christmas is celebrated with great solemnity in Sweden in the regions of Småland and Skåne. Preparations for the holiday begin a month before it. One of the family, according to the old custom, must take care in advance of new clothes and shoes for Christmas. On one of the days, two weeks before the holiday, the fattened Christmas piglets are slaughtered, which usually happens between two and three o'clock in the morning. The day before, the housewife prepares a well-cleaned or new cauldron of flour, into which the blood of the animals should flow. When the pigs are slaughtered, someone stands near the cauldron and stirs the blood and flour until the mixture becomes thick and baked. This was most often performed by a woman over 50 years of age who was not pregnant, since it was believed that a pregnant woman in this case could give birth to a sick child (with falling sickness or with a physical disability). Young women or girls with a groom were strictly forbidden to take any part in the slaughter of livestock.

After the cattle have been killed, the beer has been brewed, and the bread has been baked, the cleaning of the premises begins - they wash the ceilings and walls, wallpaper them, polish the floors, paint the stoves, clean equipment and dishes. Tin and silver dishes, polished to a shine, are displayed on shelves above the door to the home. On the morning of Christmas Eve, the Christmas tree is decorated.

The British usually celebrate the New Year visiting friends, on the streets, in restaurants and pubs. Young people have fun at holiday parties that start at 8 pm and continue until the morning. Trafalgar Square is filled with festive crowds throughout the night. Street vendors are busy offering New Year's toys, whistles, carnival masks and balloons to merry Londoners.

New Year's festivities

Performances based on the plots of classic English fairy tales are performed for children. There are merry carnival parades led by the chief jester named Lord Mess. Among their participants are Hobby Horse (a young guy in a horse costume), the March Hare from Alice in Wonderland, Humpty Dumpty, Punch and other fairy-tale characters.

On Christmas Eve, a New Year tree is installed in Trafalgar Square, which, for this occasion, is brought from Norway. The famous London New Year's Parade is also held there - one of the largest New Year's processions in Europe. Typically more than 10,000 people take part, including dancers, musicians, acrobats and clowns.

At midnight, the blankets in which the clocks are wrapped for the winter are removed from the bells of Big Ben, and their chime heralds the coming of the New Year. At this time, young lovers try to kiss under a mistletoe branch in order to stay together throughout the next year.

New Year with family

New Year trees have been standing in houses since Christmas, and sprigs of holly, ivy and mistletoe hang above the doors. The main gifts here are given at Christmas, but it is also customary to exchange cards and small souvenirs on New Year’s Day. It is believed that on New Year's Eve, as on Christmas, Santa Claus comes to children. Before going to bed, they leave him a treat in specially prepared wooden shoes, and place a plate for gifts on the table.

Traditional holiday dishes are served at the New Year's table: turkey with chestnuts and roasted potatoes, meat pies, stewed Brussels sprouts, oatcakes, roast goose and steaks. Next come favorite English desserts, incl. pudding, apple pie, fruit and sweets. Punch is considered a traditional New Year's drink.

The most famous of the British New Year's traditions is welcoming the first guest. It is believed that the year will be successful if a dark-haired young man comes to the house first after midnight. At the same time, he must bring bread, coal and a pinch of salt as a gift to the owners - symbols of food, warmth and prosperity. The guest immediately throws a coal into the fireplace. After this, all household members congratulate each other and treat the guest.

New Year in Great Britain is celebrated on the night from December 31 to January 1. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it is second in popularity to Christmas. In Scotland, New Year is more loved and celebrated. In this part of the Kingdom it is called Hogmanay. Its celebration takes 3 whole days (from December 30 to January 1).

On New Year's Eve, the British have family dinners, visit people, go to parties, go to pubs, restaurants and have fun on the city streets.

The main Christmas tree of the United Kingdom is installed in London in Trafalgar Square. Since 1841, by decree of Queen Victoria of England, this tradition has remained unchanged. The peculiarity of the British pine beauty is that since 1947 it has been delivered from Oslo. With this gesture, the people of Norway express their gratitude for the help during World War II and the salvation of the Norwegian royal family.

Trafalgar Square hosts the main Christmas and New Year events. The ceremonial lighting of the Christmas tree is accompanied by the performance of musical and choral groups that perform traditional English songs. Festive concerts and processions continue throughout the New Year holidays.

Traditions and customs

On New Year's Eve, the British make a list of goals for the future: quit bad habits, take up your favorite sport, save money for an important purchase.

In Scotland, housewives clean their houses on December 31, throw out garbage and old rubbish. They believe that celebrating the New Year in a dirty house will bring bad luck for the next year.

When the clock begins to strike midnight, residents of the houses open the back door to let out the outgoing year, and at the last stroke, open the front door to let in the new one.

An ancient British tradition on New Year's Eve is welcoming the first guest. The first person to cross the threshold of a house in the coming year can bring good luck and prosperity or, conversely, misfortune. The most welcome guest is a handsome young man with dark hair. Women and people with blond or red hair are not welcome in the house - they symbolize misfortune. The roots of this sign have been growing since ancient times, when Viking tribes carried out predatory raids on sea towns and villages. The dark-haired ones were fellow countrymen, and the blondes and red-haired ones were foreign enemies. The first guest should bring a symbolic gift with him. Coins and salt signify wealth, a piece of bread or pie - satiety and abundance, coal - warmth and comfort.

It is not customary among UK residents to give expensive gifts for the New Year. Relatives and close friends present each other with pleasant little things: keychains, teaspoons, souvenirs, postcards and Christmas tree balls. At parties, comic drawings and lotteries with such gifts are held.

history of the holiday

Until 1752, when Great Britain and its American colonies switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, the New Year fell on Christmas Day (December 25). In 1752, the official date of the holiday became January 1. Residents of the Kingdom eagerly accepted this innovation, as they had the opportunity to extend the Christmas holidays.

New Year decoration

Residents of Great Britain begin to decorate their streets and homes at the end of November. Decorated Christmas trees appear in the main squares of cities and in houses. Bright garlands and fabulous New Year-themed compositions flash in store windows. In addition to spruce, the British decorate their homes with branches of sacred plants: mistletoe, holly, ivy, which are supposed to protect them from evil spirits and magicians. They hang them above the door, on chandeliers and lamps.

Festive table

British housewives serve traditional English dishes at the New Year's table: baked turkey with chestnuts, goose with apples, fried potatoes, steaks, meat pies, stewed Brussels sprouts, oatcakes. Among desserts, residents of the United Kingdom prefer puddings, apple pies and fresh fruit. A popular New Year's delicacy in Scotland is shortbread cake decorated with almonds, nuts, marzipan figures and national symbols made of sugar.

Popular alcoholic drinks include champagne and punch. The British make punch from strong alcoholic drinks (rum, cognac, bourbon) with the addition of honey, slices of fruit and tea.

Cities and resorts

The New Year holidays in the UK will bring unforgettable emotions and impressions.

The heart of the winter holidays is London. Citizens and tourists will be able to join in the noisy festivities on Trafalgar Square, which last throughout New Year's Eve and are accompanied by performances by musical groups. Performances based on famous folk tales are performed for children. In London, the start of the New Year is marked by the ringing of the bells of Big Ben and fireworks from the Thames bridges.

Visitors to Liverpool will be able to enjoy the New Year's atmosphere, architectural sights, and amazing panoramas of the city. Liverpool is a paradise for music lovers. The famous group The Beatles was born in this city. Bars, restaurants and monuments are saturated with the atmosphere of their songs.

There are ski resorts in the north of Scotland. Tourists will find comfortable hotels, equipped slopes and lifts. Fans of medieval architecture will be able to visit castles located nearby. Dog sledding will be an unusual entertainment for tourists.

Fireworks over the Thames, rivers of champagne in Trafalgar Square, the New Year's carnival - all these are integral components of the grandiose New Year's celebration in the UK.

The concept of the New Year in Great Britain is inextricably linked with a string of traditions and beliefs that the British strictly adhere to. Thus, on New Year’s Day it is customary to give a crust of fragrant bread as a symbol of abundance, a coal as a symbol of warmth, a pinch of salt as a symbol of prosperity.

Competitions of illuminations and decorations are considered characteristic of London on New Year's Day. They are held among the owners of shops, hotel and business complexes, and ordinary residents. Thus, every street turns into an open-air museum, where you can walk for as long as you like in the company of friends and relatives.

Weather in the UK for Christmas and New Year weekends

Great Britain is characterized by a humid maritime climate, which is determined primarily by the proximity of the warm Gulf Stream. That is why, even in the depths of winter, the temperature on the island does not drop below zero.

On Christmas and New Year's weekends it usually stays at +6...+7 degrees Celsius.

A slightly cloudy, shaggy sky with snowy clouds creates a special holiday mood. From time to time they sprinkle the streets with light, fluffy, “sugar” snow.

New Year's program in the UK from “A” to “Z”. What to do, what to see, where to go?

New Year's Eve in London promises to be truly unforgettable. Each traveler's to do list includes:

Fireworks over the Thames. It starts with the final thunderous blow of Big Ben and lasts 40 minutes. The charges are mounted on spacious barges, as well as on London Eye supports, which makes the action truly mesmerizing.

Memo to tourists: the best places for observation are the South Bank and Victoria embankments. Please note that access to bridges in central London is closed at around 8 o'clock to avoid crowding, so an observation point should be arranged in advance;

Ice skating rink near the Natural History Museum, which is open all New Year's Eve.

Memo to tourists: after skiing, be sure to try the local aromatic coffee and mulled wine;

Historical banquet. New Year in London can be celebrated in one of the colorful bars, pubs, and restaurants occupying the central part of the city.

Each of them offers a special program for the weekend. If you are lucky, there is a chance to get to a medieval feast, where everything, from the menu to the decoration, is reminiscent of the glorious royal era;

Evening cruise on the Thames. If you don't want to reserve seats on the embankments in advance, but want to enjoy all the splendor of the festive fireworks and at the same time receive excellent service, choose Thames cruises. The evening's program includes musical performances, cocktail shows and much more.

Memo to tourists: seats on the ship must be booked in advance. For such holidays there is a dress code (neat festive clothes). It is also not allowed to stay on the ship with children - an evening cruise on the Thames will become a vivid romantic memory;

Celebrations in Trafalgar Square, which have traditionally taken place since the mid-19th century. The main Christmas tree of the country, originally from Norway, is also installed here. Take part in festive round dances, try local sweets from merchants' shops and soak up the incredible atmosphere of the noisy New Year's celebration;

Club parties, including themed ones. A banquet and dancing until the morning is an excellent solution for seeing off the old year. Entrance to the most famous club in London - Ministry of Sound - will cost 80 pounds.

Coming to the UK for New Year's celebrations, you get the chance to see everything at once: torchlight processions, carnivals in Scotland for the pagan Hogmanay holiday with spiced wine and lush pies, bell competitions in Wales and much more.

Great Britain, like no other country, is suitable for a family New Year's holiday with children. Restaurants offer special menus for little ones; in the capital and large cities there are entertainment centers for children of all ages. And there are countless shops with toys, souvenirs, and sweet gifts.

A must-see during a trip to the UK is the London Zoo and children's theaters. Their performances on holidays are held on the streets, and anyone can take part in them.

Villas, apartments, cottages for the New Year in the UK

Renting houses, villas, and cottages in the UK remains one of the most expensive in Europe. But this is not a reason to deny yourself the pleasure of plunging into a winter fairy tale.

Best deals for travelers:

Houses and apartments in Greater London for 2-4 people – from 620 to 1550 euros for renting an object for 7 days;
in the South, South-West, South-East - an average of 470-780 euros for a similar weekly rental.

Villas and cottages in Wales and on the outskirts of Edinburgh will cost much less - from 310 euros for two people. The range of offers also necessarily includes luxury real estate - for example, studio apartments in London Kensington from 3,200 euros.

NOTE! The amount indicated in the price lists may increase by the amount of additional or mandatory expenses provided by the apartment owners. The total amount includes the cost of using Wi-Fi, parking spaces, special equipment, facilities for the disabled, small children, etc.

What should you do during the New Year holidays in the UK to fully experience the holiday spirit?

To fully experience the spirit of the English New Year and go home with a heap of unusual impressions, experts advise trying everything that the European capital and its charming suburbs offer:

• taste aromatic potatoes with green gravy, turkey with chestnuts, sweet pies and other treats that are traditionally served on the New Year's table;
• to make a card in a small London workshop, which is considered the main New Year's gift in the UK. The tradition of giving it goes back to 1843, when Englishman Henry Cole first sent a colorful souvenir to his friends;
• join the festive procession at Trafalgar and Piccadilly and clink glasses with at least a dozen people. According to experts, at least 10,000 people take part in the festivities in these squares. You can enjoy the magnificent spectacle absolutely free of charge;
• visit at least one of the famous English pubs. On New Year's holidays, any feast in such establishments is accompanied by explosions of firecrackers. Before you try the local ale - foamy beer - be sure to shower your neighbor with colorful confetti. This will be the best holiday wish for happiness and prosperity.

Want to see what a real European New Year looks like? Do you dream of finding out where the line is that separates thousand-year-old traditions and modern holiday programs? Travel to the UK - a place where joy reigns!

New Year in Great Britain: vivid photos and videos, detailed description and reviews of the New Year event in Great Britain in 2019.

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In Great Britain, the main winter holiday is Christmas, but New Year is loved just as much here. If Christmas is a family holiday, then New Year is more of a reason for a party with friends, a bar tour and a carnival right on the city streets.

The weather at the end of December - beginning of January in London and the surrounding area is not the most pleasant: at this time the days are the shortest and coldest, it gets dark early, and the air temperature stays around -5 ° C. Sometimes cold air comes from the east, and then it gets cold down to -15...-18 °C, but this doesn’t even happen every year. The weather is mostly cloudy, sometimes it snows, but this usually doesn’t spoil anyone’s festive mood - there are thousands of bars in the country where you can hide from the weather with a glass of ale.

Prices for air tickets and hotel accommodations on New Year's Eve are the highest of the year, so you should take care of your reservations in advance.

Traditions

The New Year is respected most in Scotland, where it is called Hogmanay and is celebrated for three whole days - from December 30 to January 1, while in the rest of the UK it is celebrated only on New Year's Eve itself. The British have dinner with family, go out to visit people or go to parties in pubs and discos. The main Christmas tree of the country is installed in London on Trafalgar Square, and it is this place that becomes the center of public festivities.

The New Year tree is brought to the royal court every year from Norway. This tradition dates back to 1947 - this is how Norwegians express their gratitude and appreciation to Great Britain for its help during the Second World War.

On New Year's Eve, it is customary for the British to make a list of New Year's resolutions to themselves: quit smoking, save money for something, go to the land of their dreams, etc., and also discuss what they managed to fulfill from last year's list.

One of the oldest and most important British traditions is welcoming the first guest. It is considered great luck if a handsome man with dark hair is the first to cross the threshold of a house in the New Year, but blondes and redheads (especially women) are not very welcome in this case. This tradition stems from the fact that in ancient times British houses were subject to numerous Viking attacks, and almost all of them were fair-haired or red-haired.

It’s not customary to give expensive gifts for the New Year; that’s what Christmas is for, but small souvenirs are welcome. Many families and companies play “Secret Santa” on New Year’s Eve - they organize raffles and lotteries using small gifts that everyone brings with them.

The British are trying to do a thorough cleaning - celebrating a holiday in a clean house is considered a good omen - and, of course, preparing a festive dinner. Roast turkey, goose with apples, meat pie and apple tart are served. The most popular New Year's dish in Scotland is shortbread cake with almonds and marzipan figures. In Great Britain they drink champagne and punch at the festive table, sometimes bourbon and grog.

Where to celebrate New Year in the UK

The most fun is on New Year's Eve in London. On the evening of December 31, everyone goes to Trafalgar Square to watch performances by music and dance groups and celebrate the holiday to the sounds of Big Ben. Then everyone will be treated to a festive fireworks display from the Thames bridges, after which Londoners and tourists disperse to the surrounding bars and pubs to continue the banquet.

Pubs and discos are open until the morning on New Year's Eve. It is not necessary to reserve a table at the bar; you can get there in a live queue, but you should take care of the entrance to the restaurant and disco in advance. A ticket to the most famous club in the British capital, Ministry of Sound, will cost about 80 GBP. Prices on the page are as of November 2018.

Many hotels and restaurants organize themed parties. To attend such an event at a hotel, you do not have to be a guest, you just need to buy an entrance ticket (about 100 GBP), this amount usually already includes several drinks and sometimes a light buffet.

The main event of New Year's Eve in London is the London Parade, a colorful procession that usually takes place on the first day of the new year. Dancers, musicians, clowns, famous movie characters and other artists (about 10 thousand people in total) take part in the parade on the central streets of the British capital, which ends with a large-scale fireworks display.

Liverpool has a special atmosphere on New Year's Eve. It’s also very beautiful there, and the whole city walks until the morning, but Liverpudlians never forget that it was in their city that one of the legendary groups, The Beatles, was born, so their songs are heard from every bar, pub and simply from speakers on the streets.

A typical winter holiday in the UK can be enjoyed in the north of Scotland. There are well-equipped ski resorts here: there are first-class hotels, slopes for beginners and experienced athletes, and in the surrounding area there are medieval castles.

Prices for New Year's tours

Prices for New Year's tours to London start from 750 EUR per person for a week. This amount includes flights from Moscow and back, accommodation in a double room in a 3* hotel, breakfast and sometimes a sightseeing tour of the city.

A combined week-long tour of London and Edinburgh will cost a minimum of 950 EUR per person under the same conditions.

The visa is paid separately; this issue should be taken care of in advance.