A New Year

To all my friends and family, my readers and my fellow bloggers the very best for the New Year. It is the year of the Tiger according to the Chinese calender and I cant help feeling this is a very positive omen given the fact that we are in India and we have spotted our first tiger. Such magnificent beings and rightly I think I should dedicate this posting to the Tiger we saw at Panna in Madhya Pradesh.

 More about the place in another posting but here she is in her full glory.On New Year's Day, people in certain countries gather on beaches and run into the water to celebrate. (We shall be doing exactly that in Goa.) These events are sometimes known as polar bear plunges, but we are hoping ours will not be polar bear temperatures !

In Britain an extra round of football fixtures is played (unless New Year's Day falls on a Thursday, Friday or Sunday).

n Pasadena, California, United States, the Tournament of Roses is held, with revellers viewing the parade from the streets and watching on television, followed by the Rose Bowl college football game.If you are in Vienna you should go to the New Year Concert

Hindus celebrate the new year by paying respects to their parents and other elders and seek their blessings. They also exchange tokens of Good Wishes for a healthy and prosperous year ahead.

The New Year's Day Parade is held in London. Performers include acts from each of the city's boroughs, as well as entertainment from around the world.

In Pennsylvania and Ohio, mostly in or near Pennsylvania "Dutch" (Deitch/German) areas, it is common to celebrate New Year's Day with a meal of pork, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes. The practice comes from a Pennsylvania "Dutch" tradition that dictates these foods will bring good luck in the new year.That is one tradition I full heartedly adopt. How do you celebrate the arrival of your New Year ?