The New Year begins in Chile at the stroke of midnight on January 1st, just as it does elsewhere around the world.
Chileans like to celebrate the New Year with lots of activities and traditions.
Like Christmas, the New Year is a time when family and friends gather together to celebrate.
Since the New Year falls in the middle of Chile’s summer, New Year’s celebrations spread outside.
The evening of December 31st, the air will be filled with the smells of traditional asados (barbecue) with generous servings of meat.
As the clock strikes midnight, friends and family embrace with hugs and give kisses all around. Champagne is shared and toasts are given.
Larger cities in Chile will have massive fireworks shows. Individuals will also buy their own fireworks and use them in their neighborhoods. Watch out if you happen to be on the street on New Year’s Eve so you can avoid the bottle rockets that go whizzing by.
New Year’s Day is an official national holiday and is usually spent sleeping in to recover from the previous night’s festivities.
