Liechtenstein Edition
Ano Viejo leads today's complete edition for Liechtenstein.
Daily Edition
Official observances, world days, local context, and everyday celebrations for people who need something worth reading, sharing, or talking about today.
Not an official holiday, but try finding someone at work. The country gathers at the coast to watch the Valparaiso fireworks, eats twelve grapes at midnight for twelve wishes, and toasts with champagne. The Valparaiso show is three kilometers of fireworks over the bay and it is spectacular. The grapes are mandatory.
The fireworks over Sydney Harbour are watched by a billion people worldwide and by a hundred thousand people standing in the Domain with warm champagne and sore feet. The countdown is shouted. The kiss at midnight is given. And someone has already set off illegal fireworks in the suburban backyard and the dog is under the bed.
Another midnight celebration with the whole family. The leftover pan dulce from Christmas reappears, the sidra is still flowing, and someone counts down from ten. Paper fireworks in the street, hugs all around, and the unshakeable feeling that next year, surely, things will be better. "El ano que viene si," the eternal Argentine hope.
The old year is seen out with champagne, fireworks, and the traditional Silvester meal of fondue chinoise : a variant of fondue where thinly sliced meat is cooked in broth at the table, accompanied by sauces and salads. The fireworks in Vaduz are visible from everywhere in the country (it is, after all, only 25km long), and the celebration is small but spirited. The Prince's New Year's Eve reception at Schloss Vaduz is an invitation-only affair, but the town square is open to all, and the champagne is served by the municipality. At midnight, the church bells ring across the valley, and the new year begins : again, in the smallest German-speaking country in the world, in the shadow of the castle, in the heart of the Alps.
