Christmas traditions around the world

• Christmas traditions of different countries of the world

New Year traditions in each country has its own. Let's see what the rituals and customs of the famous wonderful New Year's holiday.

The artists perform a dance of fiery dragon on a temple fair to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Beijing. A traditional dragon dance is accompanied by a loud bang the drum and cymbals that chase away evil spirits in the new year. The festivities are held for 15 days until the New Year according to the lunar calendar, which falls on the new moon, and marks the end of winter.

This is such an unusual Christmas Claus roam the rural regions of Switzerland - the real walking Christmas tree with bells, wishing all the best for the new year. They sing and dance, and the people give them food, beverages, or money. It is believed that the visit here such Claus helps get rid of the evil spirits in the house.

The Dutch swimmers in the icy North Sea at Scheveningen, the Netherlands. In North America, walrus club helped popularize the tradition of bathing in the icy waters of winter. Bernarr McFadden, who founded the club walruses Coney Island in 1903, believed that "swimming in the ocean in the winter to help strengthen the immune system and vitality."

The girl holds an offering of fruits as shamans carry out the ritual for good luck in the new year in Lima, Peru. In Peru, yellow brings good luck, and people often wear yellow swimwear on luck. Shamans all over the country come to the fairs and festivals to perform various rituals - people showering yellow flowers or put on the body, the guinea pig.

People stand under the fireworks during the festival Yanshuy within the Chinese Lantern Festival. Locals believe that if you shoot firecrackers and fireworks in a crowd of people, evil spirits will go - this tradition has turned into a real tourist attraction. Lantern festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the New Year according to the lunar calendar.

Tamers fire Hogmanay street light Stonehaven, continuing the tradition of New Year's greetings. Hogmanay - Scottish Festival New Year's Eve, in the small coastal towns, it is celebrated, waving baskets with fire over their heads. At the end of the ritual burning trash thrown into the sea. There are two theories of symbolism these "fireballs." On one of them, there was a ritual of pagan ceremonies, in which the basket to symbolize the sun - to all living things are getting enough sunlight. According to the second tradition, the fire was to cleanse, to destroy the demons and dark thoughts.

The crowd screams, confetti falls on Times Square festivities begin. The first New Year's ball in New York's Times Square appeared in 1907. Then it was a hundred 25-watt bulbs 1, 5 meters in diameter, he weighed 300 kg and was made of iron and wood.

Thai children and foreign tourists poured water during the Songkran festival in Bangkok. Songkran - Thai New Year which starts on April 13. At this time of the year is hot and people celebrate, dripping water. This ritual is derived from the traditions of scented water to wash the Buddha image as a sign of purification. Then collected "blessed" water was poured on the family good luck.

She tries to read a message from the egg yolk in a glass of beer during the ritual of predictions in Lima, Peru.

Girls dancing under the hot summer sun during the New Year carnival in the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa. The first carnival was held in the spirit of Brazil in 2004. His goal - to strengthen the leadership and creativity of the population.

The Tibetans celebrate Losar, the Tibetan New Year, in a monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. The tradition of celebrating Losar occurred even in the pre-Buddhist period in Tibet, where then practiced the Bon religion. Spiritual ceremonies are held every winter, people brought incense to appease the spirits, deities and protectors. Typically, Losar falls on the same date as the Chinese New Year and is celebrated for 15 days.

The Indians go for a drive around the church, presenting traditional prayers to God Shiva during a ritual at the festival, which coincides with the New Year Oriyya Mendhasale in India. Danda festival lasts 13 days. In the New Year and celebrate the arrival of spring. In Hinduism there is a common New Year's celebration. Each region has its own customs and date.

Dolls Ekekosa known as the god of abundance, in the market in Lima. Every year, people come to the traditional markets in search of happiness amulets and spiritual rituals by shamans to those blessed them before the New Year. People bring miniature versions of things they would like to have, and then bless Ekekosa, for example, by giving him a smoke.

Champion Sumo Asasorui performs ritual cleansing the temple Meidzi Jingu Shrine in Tokyo. Sumo wrestlers celebrate New Year's Eve ritual in front of a cad Meidzi Jingu.

Andean men fight during a traditional festival in the province of Chumbivilcas Province Takanakuy in Cusco, Peru. Takanakuy, which translates as "when the blood boil" with the Quechua language, - the annual and ancient celebration, which took place from the pre-Hispanic culture Chanca, which gives hundreds of residents Andean villages to solve problems of a personal nature, honor and private property by force of fists.

Runners participating in the 82nd New Year's Marathon in San Paulo, Brazil. About 21,000 runners took part in the traditional 15-kilometer race in Brazil in 2010.

Turkish Kurds jump over the fire during the festival of Nowruz in Istanbul. Nowruz, which means "new day" marks the first day of spring and is considered the Persian new year. It is also celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Armenia, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, as well as in some populations of Iranians and Turks in Syria, Lebanon, Pakistan, India, north-western China, the Caucasus, the Crimea, and the Balkans.

The villagers of Pogost in Belarus drink vodka during traditional Christmas carols. Christmas Carols - an ancient pagan ritual that was celebrated before the winter solstice, and now - at Christmas and New Year.

One Quechua shaman, and their two Aymara New Year party in Samaipate, Bolivia. Aymara New Year - a celebration of the winter solstice, and the indigenous inhabitants are asked to this day a good harvest in the coming season.

Edinburgh residents took to the street Princess, to celebrate the New Year. Traditional New Year's song "Aung Lang Syne" wrote the Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1788, is an ode to an old friend. Companies often become friends in a circle, hold hands and sing this song, and at the beginning of the last verse, they cross their arms and come together in the center of the circle.

The relatives make traditional New Year rice cakes ban chung in the yard of a house in the suburbs of Hanoi, Vietnam. Ban chung - delicacy from sticky rice, pork and green beans wrapped in "dong" leaves. Dish prepared 10 hours. Food - is an important aspect of Christmas traditions in all cultures and countries. Pork and ham are very popular in the Philippines, Austria, Germany and Sweden.

The moving platform "One Nation" at the 122nd Annual Parade born in Pasadena, California. Rose Parade began in 1890 as part of a promotion when Pasadena was called "Western Mediterranean". During the parade, people are playing different games under the warm sun. Flowers have become a constant part of many local traditions, since they are full all year round.

People pray for the welfare and prosperity of business in the new year in the temple Kanda - the goddess of business on the first working day of the new year in Tokyo.

A Jewish woman practicing Tashlikh the first day of the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah, in the coastal Israeli city of Ashdod. Tashlikh - a ritual of long standing, which is carried out in the afternoon in the new year. According to tradition, the sea need to throw pieces of bread or other food that they carried away the sins of the previous year.