Seeking a Fresh Start Across the Globe

Written by: Ava Heydarian Edited by: Darrin Lin

Three, two, one—Happy New Year! In the United States, we celebrate New Year’s Eve on December 31st, spending time with friends and family waiting for the clock to hit midnight. Then, we have a day off on New Year's Day, January 1st. But have you ever thought of whether other countries do the same? Cultures across the world celebrate the start of a new year, too. But not all of them celebrate the same way or even on the same day. Let’s look at a few of the different ways New Years is celebrated all over the world. 

Nowruz

Nowruz is the Persian New Year. It is celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and parts of Iraq, Turkey, and Syria. Other countries also have Nowruz celebrations, but they are only celebrated in smaller parts of the country.

Nowruz has three parts. The first part is called Scarlet Wednesday. Unlike what the name says, this part is celebrated on a Tuesday night. Friends and families gather to jump over bonfires. This symbolizes bringing good energy into the new year. 

The second part of Nowruz is the actual New Years Day. This happens on the first day of Spring! Families and friends gather to celebrate around the haft-sin, a table with seven items that begin with the letter “s” in the Persian language. This includes gold coins (sekkeh), garlic (seer), and apples (sib). 

Finally, 13 days later after New Years Day, families and friends meet at a park or outdoor space in nature. They grill, play music, and enjoy the new beautiful spring weather together.

Lunar New Year    

The Lunar New Year is celebrated in many Asian countries. This includes China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, and Tibet. 

Lunar New Year celebrations begin on the first new moon in the Lunar calendar. A new moon means that we can’t see the moon in the sky. It ends 15 days later on a full moon, which is when we can see the entire moon in the sky. The exact dates change every year, but the celebration usually happens between late January and February.

Families prepare for the Lunar New Year by cleaning their homes to get rid of any bad luck. On the night of the new moon, families begin their celebrations with a big dinner.

In the first few days of the new year, older family members give children money in red envelopes. The envelopes are red to represent good luck and happiness. People also celebrate by having gatherings and watching traditional dances.

The final day of the Lunar New Year takes place on the day of the full moon. Streets are filled with festivals, glowing lanterns, more dances, and parades!

Yennayer

Yennayer is celebrated by the Amazigh people, a group of people from North Africa. They celebrate the holiday in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, and parts of Egypt. Yennayer is on the first day of the first month on the Amazigh calendar. This is January 12th or 13th, depending on the country.

The Amazigh begin their celebrations the day before Yennayer, like how Americans celebrate New Year’s Eve. Families start celebrations with lively music and gatherings. They also often wear traditional clothing and jewelry.

Another important part of Yennayer is food. The food symbolizes being well fed for the year to come, so people are encouraged to eat well. It is also tradition for the couscous (a tiny round pasta) to have seven vegetables and seven spices in it, representing being full for the year. 

Yennayer happens in the wintertime. The holiday is important to the Amazigh people because it represents facing the hard and cold season with joy!

Around the World

Overall, there are so many ways that people celebrate the new year around the world. These traditions are unique, important, and fun! But it seems that across cultures, everyone wants to start off the year with their loved ones and celebrate the new fresh start. 

References

1. BBC Travel. (2024, January 12). Yennayer — North Africa’s 3,000-year-old New Year’s celebration. BBC. Retrieved November 11, 2025, from https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240112-yennayer-north-africas-3000-year-old-new-years-celebration

2. Middle East Eye. (2021, January 11). What you need to know about Amazigh New Year, or Yennayer. Retrieved November 11, 2025, from https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/what-you-need-know-about-amazigh-new-year-or-yennayer

3. National Geographic Education. (n.d.). Lunar New Year. National Geographic Society. Retrieved November 11, 2025, from https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/lunar-new-year/

4. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Ancient and religious calendar systems. In Encyclopaedia Britannica.Retrieved November 11, 2025, from https://www.britannica.com/science/calendar/Ancient-and-religious-calendar-systems#ref60210

5. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Lunar New Year. In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved November 11, 2025, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lunar-New-Year

6. World Population Review. (2025). Countries that celebrate the Lunar New Year 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025, from https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/what-countries-celebrate-the-lunar-new-year