New Year's is a Holiday actually Drenched in Tradition!
Cultural Perspective – An Analysis of American and Finnish Traditions
New Year’s is a nearly World-wide holiday, and because of that notion, it seems like many countries have less culture and more general celebrating around the holiday, which is why it seems there are more similarities than differences in this holiday observation between the United States and Finland. Still, there is tradition and reason behind the rituals that both Americans and Finns partake in during New Year’s, even when they do not realize they are learning from and being a part of history. In both the United States and Finland, you will find people of all ages making resolutions for the New Year (Lampela). The truth is that neither the Finns nor the Americans created the idea of making these plans or goals for the upcoming year. Over 4000 years ago the Babylonians started making the first resolutions for the New Year (New Year’s – History.com, 1996-2013), a tradition that most certainly has not been lost over time! Another ritual that both Americans and Finns participate in is kissing or hugging at midnight. From the outside, and even in the midst of celebrating, this may seem like a fun and flirty act with no meaning, however, yet again we find meaning behind how both countries celebrate the New Year. When people kiss or hug at midnight, it is supposed to be a hope that they are embracing the “one you’ll be holding for the rest of the year.”(Schedierer, 2008) These two examples make it obvious that New Year’s is more than just a night to stay up late and make goals that may never happen, New Year’s is a holiday that is surprisingly drenched in tradition. If more people knew why they were participating in the different rituals and what the meaning behind their actions were, New Year’s might be even more meaningful to people around the world. The fact that a holiday can have both culture and tradition from different countries, but also similarities around the world that can be traced back thousands of years, gives New Year’s the potential to be a very significant holiday in nearly every culture.
As someone who has celebrated New Year’s in both Finland and The United States, I was very unaware of the culture that influenced how I celebrated the holiday. While in Finland, taking part in both the Sauna and “uuden vuoden tina” was something that I found so unique and “Finnish” that I was sure there was nothing similar or nearly as cultural in the United States. I could not have been more wrong. Singing a familiar tune and eating foods that might seem somewhat ordinary while watching a glittery ball drop in New York City were simply unexplained rituals that are great examples of the history of this country. Around the world, New Year’s is a lot more than fireworks and loud noises, it makes cities, states, and countries individual while also bringing some fun and positive unity between the cultures.