New Year's Celebrations: join us!
On 31 December, as the year's last hours count down, Luxembourgers like to get together with their family and friends to celebrate. Coming together in public is a popular way to greet the new year, but many like to enjoy a festive evening with close friends or family at home for a New Year's Eve dinner. On 1 January, which is a bank holiday, it is customary to have a long sleep-in and then visit relatives to wish them Alles Guddes am neie Joer! And sometimes a wig made of goat's hair …
New Year's Eve celebrations
Do you prefer a night out in a club, a classy ball or an intimate gathering at home for those last hours of the year? The country has much to offer, and from the well-known hotspots which host New Year's parties, to the end-of-year balls, we are certain that you will find a crowd with which to party into the new year.
However, most Luxembourgers still enjoy celebrating at home, either in the family circle, or with some very good friends. If you are being invited for such an occasion, it is undoubtedly an honour. Luxembourgers will have taken great care to prepare the evening, and invitations may be made as early as autumn.
Guests will usually arrive in the early evening hours, at which time an aperitif and some hors d’oeuvre will be served, followed by a meal which can range from a fondue or similar communal dish to an opulent three-course masterpiece meal. Afterwards it is time to review the past year and talk about plans for the next. Until the clock nearly strikes midnight, at which time the hosts are going to take the bottle of bubbly wine, crémant or champagne, out of the fridge that they have put aside for this special occasion.
Alles Guddes am neie Joer
At midnight, people toast each other, including the children who will, of course, have been served a non-alcoholic alternative, and wish each other Vill Gléck am neie Joer (Much luck in the new year) or Alles Guddes am neie Joer (All the best in the New Year). This is actually part of a saying whose complete version is:
Alles Guddes am neie Joer (All the best in the New Year)
An eng Paréck mat Geessenhoer (And a wig with goat's hair)
A siwe Lais op engem Joer. (And seven lice on one hair.)
Its origins are lost in time, but should you know the complete verse, you'll be sure to impress your friends.
How to start the New Year?
1 January is usually started with a long sleep-in to rest from the previous night's activities, followed by the customary family visits. Luxembourgers will go to aunts, uncles and the extended family to wish each other a good start into the new year. As it's a bank holiday, many also enjoy the day at home, relaxing after the holidays and the celebrations the night before.
In many parts of the world, it has also become custom to adopt some New Year's resolution(s), and Luxembourg is no exception to that rule. Although there is very little information about how long these resolutions are being observed for.
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