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New Year in Finland

New Year is a celebration to mark the new year. On New Year’s eve there is a big party, because of the year change and fireworks to celebrate it. Everyone wish happy New Year at midnight. Around the world people celebrate the new year differently and at slightly different times because of the time zones. At the beginning of the New Year people tend to look back on the past year's events and make plans for the New Year.

In Finland people used to celebrate new year around All Saints Day in the past. Christians seek to replace kalendae celebration the feast of Christmas-related fasting during the day.

At the old times in Finland a bath whisk was thrown on the sauna's roof after the sauna. Bath whisk’s position told the future. For example if the handle pointed towards the church that predicted death and if the top pointed towards the church it meant marriage or good luck. There has also been a lot of other different ways to predict the future, like using mirrors, straws, animals and glass of water with ring hanging from hair. Also the whole year’s weather was forecasted on New Year’s Day.

New Year in Finland is the one of the biggest holidays. Many people spend the New Year’s Eve celebrating with their family and friends watching colourful fireworks, either at home or attending the numerous New Year’s parties in restaurants and nightclubs. Fireworks can shoot only between 6 pm - 2 am. Fireworks comes from China. Original meaning was sending away bad spirits. In Finland New Year’s eve celebration contains traditions like tin casting, fireworks and sparkling wine. At New Year’s Eve many Finns eat potato salad and wieners.

New Year's tin shoes:

One of the most popular tricks performed is casting of tin. Everyone gets a small piece of tin, cast in the in the shape of a miniature horseshoe, a traditional symbol of good luck. The horseshoe is melted and the liquid metal poured quickly in a bucket of cold water, making into harder a more or less irregular-shaped, solid clump.