ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, December 31, 1996 TAG: 9612310054
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ANGIE WATTS STAFF WRITER
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one Happy New Year." For most Americans, those words summon the image of a big ball dropping over Times Square in New York City as thousands party to the sound of "Auld Lang Syne".
Whether witnessing the madness live or on a television screen, this is tradition. And who could usher in the New Year without making a few of those famous, or rather infamous, resolutions most Americans break by the week's end. Ah, the American way.
But what about the German way? Or the Ecuadorean way? Americans are not the only ones with a few New Year's traditions.
Andrea Nicholson, from Uruguay, said New Year's Eve traditions in her country focus on good luck.
Remember, it's summertime in Uruguay. The festivities usually include a big feast.
"We eat a lot of meat, but we don't eat chicken or turkey," Nicholson said. "The way the legs are folded behind the birds are supposed to be bad luck."
There are a few other superstitions circulating in Uruguay.
"It is custom to eat 12 fresh grapes at midnight for good luck - one for each month of the New Year - and make a wish for each month," Nicholson said. "Some people also wear pink or yellow underwear because they say it means good luck. People believe it but it's really not true."
Rodolfo Perez, a Tech student studying agriculture, said people in Ecuador also eat 12 grapes at midnight for luck, a common practice in all of Latin America. But Perez said there is much more to New Year's Eve in Ecuador.
"Young people, mostly ages 10-15, they make houses from eucalyptus branches in the corner of the streets," Perez said.
"Then they take newspapers and women's underwear and make people, and they put masks on them of political people and more. Some of the children dress up in costumes, and people stop their cars on the road to give them money. Usually the person asking for the money is dressed all in black, like a widow, because when they burn the newspaper people they will be a 'widow.'
"At midnight they burn the house and the people, like burning the old year. There are fireworks inside the houses so when they burn them they are really neat to watch."
Perez said this ritual is practiced all over the country. One of the main streets in Guayaquil is closed down so these houses can be assembled all along the street.
Mary Bendfeldt, who lived in Tanzania for seven years, and Judy Furaha, a native of Kenya, say it is important in their countries to start the year off on a good note. What you do on New Year's Day will effect the rest of the year.
"It's not like making resolutions," Bendfeldt said, "it's more of an omen of things to come. You want to be real good on New Year's."
Furaha said everyone likes to be at home for New Year's because it is believed that if you're not at home you may not be able to get home all year. People also eat well, dress well and carry money in their pockets, so they may have prosperity throughout the New Year.
In Germany, New Year's Eve is known as "Silvester." It's a time when family and friends gather in small groups at home, and watch a familiar, but still humorous, 15-minute sitcom.
"December 31st is called 'Silvester' in Germany, so most German kids [who come to America] wonder why this black cat in the cartoons is named after the last day of the year," said Holger Meyer, a graduate student in physics at Virginia Tech. "The Silvester evening starts with watching a [sitcom] on TV that is shown again every year at Silvester but never else. It is called 'Dinner for One' (in German 'Der 90 Geburtstag' meaning 'The 90th Birthday.)"
The show highlights an old English lady who celebrates her birthday with a big dinner party. The problem, of course, is that all of her friends died years ago, so her butler drinks in their places while serving the meal. The many drinks consumed lead to a state of drunkenness - and laughter.
"Everybody knows it," Meyer said, "but most people like to watch it again every year anyway."
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: GEORGE WILLS Special to the Roanoke Times. color.by CNB