Personal experience: what surprised me about the New Year in America
'31.12.2019'
Source: Yandex Zen
New Year in the land of the star-striped flag is a party holiday, writes the author of the blog "Elena in America" on "Yandex Zen".
On the night of December 31 to January 1, people (adults!) Go to parties (drink and dance a lot), launch fireworks, watch concerts (and, of course, live broadcast from New York with the procedure for releasing a huge ball), seconds are counted in chorus until midnight , drink champagne, hug each other (and everyone around) and shout “Happy New Year!” in chorus.
No speeches by the president and zero gifts!
Americans go to bed early enough - just after midnight or after a couple of hours.
On January 1, many sleep off and have a family holiday dinner - unlike Christmas, there are no specific traditional dishes on this day, and it all depends on the specific state, the specific family and their imagination - no limits!
My husband and I celebrated the New Year here in different ways: at a party at a hotel, and visiting friends, and in a restaurant.
On the subject: How Americans Celebrate Christmas and New Year: Russian Impressions
Here 10 facts about New Year's celebrations in the USA, which surprise “ours”:
1. 45% of the country's inhabitants plan to celebrate New Year with their family, 24% will stay at home, 15% will go to the party, and 3% do not plan to celebrate at all.
2. 12% fall asleep before midnight.
3. In the USA, about 11 babies are born that night.
4. 54% plan to kiss someone exactly at midnight (nice tradition!).
5. 44% of the country's population draw up plans and set goals for the next year, and only two-thirds of them try to follow them. Top 5 goals: exercise regularly, eat healthier foods, save money, lose weight, reduce stress in life. 22% admit that their plans and goals were copied from last year.
6. On New Year's Eve, 360 million glasses of sparkling wine will be drunk (for 330 million of the country's population).
On the subject: Gifts that can not be given for the New Year of the White Rat
7. 1 - this is how many people will gather in New York in Times Square, 000 of them are police officers, and about 000 million viewers will watch the broadcast. About a ton (!) Of confetti will fall on the heads of visitors to this main New Year's event in the country, and 7 workers will clean up the area after the celebration - it will take them 000-200 hours.
8. This night there are more car thefts and more gun shots (for entertainment purposes) than on any other night of the year.
9. This is the drunkest night of the year (about 50 people will suffer in car accidents), but the good news is that some services offer free rides or discounts (check with your state and city).
10. 28% of US residents will go to a restaurant on January 1 for breakfast or lunch (as they wake up).
Do you already have plans for this holiday? Will you meet at home or away?
