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From ringing bells and making noise to special foods and fireworks, see how places around the world celebrate New Year’s Eve.

Japan

In Japan there are three main events that people enjoy on New Year’s Eve.

One is the so-called “toshikoshi-soba,” which literally means “year-bridging noodles.” The dark, thin “soba” noodles made of buckwheat are eaten in their typical soup while the old year changes into the New Year. There are many meanings for this custom, but the main is to pray or hope for a New Year full of lengthy and good health and happiness, represented by the long noodles.

Then, there is the 108 bell tones struck in the Buddhist temples; slowly sounding the solemn bells 108 times starting in the last hour of the year, continuing about one hour into the New Year. These refer to the 108 weaknesses and sins of the human being. People reflect on their sins during the year that ends while hearing the bells sound, and prepare themselves to be better people in the New Year.

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Finally, there is television. There is a particularly popular program, the “Kouhaku Uta Gassen,” which literally means “Red and White Song Battle.” Singers of all styles elected by popular vote sing their songs competing for the red (women) or white (men) teams. It runs the last hours of the year until midnight, and the winning team is selected by the listeners. Performing on Kouhaku is said to be a huge honor, and all artists prepare special surprises for this unique event.

San Francisco

New Year’s in San Francisco, like in the rest of the big cities in the US, is a night for being with friends. You can pay for a big event, like going to eat at a nice restaurant where the price tag can be big, but it includes a constant flow of food and drinks, or the same with concerts, the prices are usually a bit more than other nights but they tend to offer food and do a countdown at midnight.

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The city pays for a big fireworks display at the Embarcadero. All that being said, I think the best New Year’s Eve I ever had in San Francisco included a quiet and delicious dinner in the always-affordable Chinatown, and then a long walk with friends over to Alamo Square, a nice little park that overlooks downtown and the bay. We shared some snacks and drinks and watched the fireworks down at the Embarcadero, and across the bay in Oakland.