New years as celebrated elsewhere

January 1, 2017 6:55 PM

New Years is celebrated in different ways in different countries but my fave is the area around Romania. Behold the Capra

a private house visit or a public event often a person dressed as a soldier with a wooden sword will symbolically slay it and then it is revived with music.
Then there is the Ursal where folks dress as bears with huge tassels and dance in the New Year in a manner that seems a bit like the dragon dancers in the Chinese New Year. Always with lots of drums! I am not sure of the cultural meaning of the Vampire in a frock
But thats not all, there is also the Caiuti which is is a sort of hobby horse dance with fast trumpet music. There is even more if you go down the youtube rabbit hole.

posted by boilermonster (4 comments total)

James Chapman, whose cartoons are all about interesting differences in language and culture, did a collection of New Years Traditions Around the World.
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:26 PM on January 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

The bear damcers are awesome!
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 10:11 PM on January 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

I did New Years in Lisbon once. At midnight, everybody leaned out their windows to bang pots and pans together. It was an area with a lot of apartment blocks in a relatively small space, so the resultant noise was really quite something.
posted by the latin mouse at 6:29 AM on January 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

The mummers of Newfoundland
posted by SyraCarol at 10:43 AM on January 2, 2017 [2 favorites]