Enjoying Fireworks on New Year’s Eve

Written by Greek Boston in Greek New Year Traditions Comments Off on Enjoying Fireworks on New Year’s Eve

On New Year’s Eve, people throughout the world hit the streets in order to enjoy the day. Their goal is to celebrate life and to watch one year end and another begin. In Greece, this is a time for luck, hope, and even joy as people engage in fun rituals, such as playing cards and smashing pomegranates, while enjoying the people they’re spending the evening with.

Like many places throughout the world, fireworks are also a big part of the celebrations. Once the New Year comes about, people gather to enjoy fireworks displays. In some areas, people who can afford fireworks or who know how to make them set them off in their personal property. In other places, the town or city sets them off.  Here’s more information about the Greek fireworks on New Year’s:

New Year’s Celebrations in Greece

Each year, people in Greece gather in some of the major areas. In other words, there is a lively nightlife scene and people gather to have a good time. Besides exchanging gifts and eating a wonderful family meal, many Greeks love to explore the night life on this magical holiday. Night clubs are jam packed all around Greece, and pubs are full of happy men and women welcoming the new year with a nice cold beer. Cities such as Athens also host a fireworks display and those who enjoy New Year’s Eve in these places are in for a treat!

Engage in a Bloodless War

It’s not uncommon to see a “bloodless war” raging on many Greek streets. Many students are equipped with plastic “weapons” and foam spray, and they don’t hesitate to clobber their foes until they get an unconditional surrender. As you could imagine, traffic moves so slow on these nights. With all the revelers and youngsters running around the streets, its amazing people get anywhere by car on this day. Some youths also have small fireworks that they light off as part of this war. This war is fairly harmless and just adds to the festive feeling of the night.

Watching Fireworks Displays

Local Greek municipalities work very hard to put on great New Year’s fireworks displays every year. Municipalities also decorate monuments throughout their cities with festive displays to get everyone in the holiday spirit. People from all over gather in many city centers to watch the amazing fireworks displays at night. A few of the cities that put on some of the best fireworks programs include Athens, Thebes, and Corinth.

Rouketopolemos

Another fun event that takes place in Greece both during New Year’s and Easter Sunday is called rouketopolemos. This word means “rocket war” and it all began on the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea. Many people design their own home-made rockets just for this event. The objective of this game is to get your rocket to hit the church bell first. People come to the island from all over the world in order to witness it.

Fireworks are as much a part of New Year’s in Greece as they are in the rest of the world!

Categorized in: Greek New Year Traditions

This post was written by Greek Boston