In the first days of January, a record number of fireworks are set off in our territory and neighboring countries, and countless amounts of Olivier salad and champagne are consumed - the constant companions of the New Year. One cannot help but feel that such a festive mood reigns throughout the world. But that's not true. For example, in Saudi Arabia, New Year celebrations are officially prohibited. No concessions are made even for foreigners. The first of January is not a holiday for Iranians or Hindus either. This is a normal working day for them. So, the top 5 countries that do not celebrate New Year.

1. Residents of Saudi Arabia live according to the lunar calendar, so their New Year always coincides with the first day of the spring equinox and marks the beginning of the holy month of Muharram. Back in early December, the country's religious police warned its citizens and foreign guests about a ban on celebrating the Western New Year. Employees of this service always closely monitor compliance with this requirement. They even asked stores not to sell products that could in any way be related to this holiday. Saudi Arabia is famous for its conservative views, so it is unlikely that in the near future, on the night of January 1, the sky over this country will be illuminated with hundreds of colorful lights, and joyful cries will be heard on the streets: “Happy New Year!” With new happiness!"

2. In Israel, the first of January is also considered a working day. Of course, only if it does not fall on Saturday, a day sacred to all Jews. Israelis celebrate the New Year in the fall on the new moon of the month of Tishrei according to the Jewish calendar. The holiday is called Rosh Hashan and is always very magnificent. There are many traditions, rituals and ceremonies associated with it. The celebration lasts for two whole days. Our traditional New Year in Israel is celebrated only by representatives of the local Russian diaspora. Some of them meet him in a narrow family circle, others in a Russian restaurant. Many Israelis call the European New Year "Sylvester" because they believe that celebrants are celebrating St. Sylvester's Day. This is a Catholic saint whose veneration falls on December 31st.

3. Iranians live according to the ancient astronomical solar calendar, so they also do not celebrate New Year. Recently, the calendar, in the development of which Omar Khayyam participated, has been clarified and changed several times. According to him, the year is now only 1392. The Iranian New Year falls on the first day of spring. This is March 22nd according to the Gregorian calendar. The holiday is called Novruz. It is celebrated not only in Iran, but also in countries such as Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Albania and Macedonia.

4. In India, the New Year is a holiday of “choice”, that is, everyone chooses for themselves whether to celebrate it or not. This is due to the fact that adherents of different cultures and traditions live in this country. Therefore, if you celebrate every holiday, you simply won’t have time to work. In addition, there are several other options for celebrating the arrival of the New Year in the Indian subcontinent. So, according to the unified national calendar of India, March 22 is considered the first day of the new year. The festival is called Gudi Padwa or Ugadi. In Kerala, New Year or Vishu is celebrated on April 13th. Sikhs also celebrate New Year on this same day. But among them this holiday is better known as Vaisakhi. In South India, the beginning of the new year occurs in autumn and is called Divapali.

5. In China, it is not particularly customary to celebrate the New Year on January 1, although this day is considered the official Yuan Dan holiday. Only in a few supermarkets you can see small artificial Christmas trees and good-natured Santa Clauses. This is due to the fact that until the twentieth century, the Chinese adhered only to the lunar calendar and Yuan Dan coincided with the first day of the first lunar month. Changes took place in September 1949. The government of the newly created People's Republic of China decided to call the first day of the lunar calendar "Spring Festival" (Chun Jie), and the first day of January according to the Western calendar - "Yuan Dan". But the new holiday never caught on. The Chinese have remained true to their traditions.

For the vast majority of residents of post-Soviet countries, New Year is the main holiday of the year. Here he is greeted at the festive table with traditional fun, a decorated Christmas tree, toys, gifts and Santa Claus. But each country has its own attitude towards this holiday. For Europeans and Americans, for example, Christmas means much more than New Year, and Christmas is considered the main family holiday. But there are also countries in the world for which December 31st is a completely ordinary working day, and instead of the New Year, completely different holidays are celebrated. We bring to your attention the top 5 countries where the New Year is not celebrated.

Saudi Arabia

This conservative religious country celebrates only three holidays - Independence Day, the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and the Day of Sacrifice. All other celebrations are prohibited, most officially, and among them the New Year. Celebrating the change of time, its flow, is alien to Islam, which is the main religion in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, on the eve of the New Year, the country's religious police make sure that everyone adheres to these principles and no one, even foreigners, dares to violate the ban. In its activities, this unit is guided by fatwa - these are religious instructions issued by Islamic preachers.

The police are closely monitoring not only citizens, but also entrepreneurs who sell flowers, souvenirs and gifts, in general, everything that can in any way be used to celebrate the New Year. At the end of December, the sale of such goods is prohibited. There are often cases when the police exceeded their powers, and the incident ended in the death of the offender.

Even though the change of year is not celebrated, it is still counted. This is the vernal equinox, which falls on March 21st. In addition, all Muslims live according to the lunar calendar.

It is important to note that in other Muslim countries, where the New Year is also not celebrated, the attitude towards this holiday is not so strict, and the authorities allow tourists and foreigners living there to celebrate it.

For Israelis, December 31 and the following January 1 are ordinary working days, of which there are many throughout the year. The only exception is if one of them falls on Saturday, a holy day for all Jews. But it has nothing to do with the theme of New Year celebrations. They celebrate the change of year in the fall, in September or October, depending on which day the new moon falls on in the Israeli month of Tishrei. The festival lasts two days and is accompanied by many ceremonies, rituals and traditions. This holiday among the Jews is called Rosh Hashanah.

However, celebrating December 31st at the official level is not prohibited, which is successfully used by the diaspora of the CIS countries, Europe and America. Despite the absence of a day off, they can take a day off and celebrate the holiday as they are used to in their home country.

Many people call the New Year in Israel Sylvester, since December 31 is the day of this Catholic saint. Many residents of the country are sure that it is his day that is celebrated.

Iran has its own astronomical solar calendar, which was developed by Omar Khayyam. It is called the Solar Hijra. Since the time of Khayaim, it has been supplemented and clarified several more times. According to this calendar, the year is now 1394 in Iran.

The New Year in the country will begin only on March 22 according to the Gregorian calendar. This holiday in Iran is called Novruz. On the eve of this holiday, many children dress up in white clothes and run through the streets, knocking on pots. It is believed that this is how they greet the spirits of their ancestors who appear on earth on this day. Fire becomes the symbol of the New Year; it is lit in the form of a bonfire, and also as candles in every home. Fire symbolizes purification. It is customary to clean the house with multi-colored eggs - symbols of the Earth, and mirrors - a symbol of the diversity of the world.

India

India is a country in which many cultures and ethnic groups are intertwined, each of them has its own traditions. If we celebrated them all, Hindus would not have enough days in the year. Therefore, many holidays in the country are celebrated “by choice”. The European New Year is one of these holidays. For Indians this is a working day, but many of them can take time off if they wish.

In addition, the Hindus have their own analogue of our New Year. Officially throughout the country it is celebrated on March 22. However, many states have their own time to celebrate the New Year. For example, in the state of Kerala, the New Year begins on April 13, and in the southern states of the country in mid-autumn. It is celebrated very widely in the southern provinces, and also has a special name - Divapali. In addition, in India you can also celebrate Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Vishu, Vaisakhi, although all of them are nothing more than celebrating the arrival of the New Year, and this is not a complete list of them. By the way, Catholic Christmas is also considered a holiday of choice in India.

China

Yuan Dan, as the New Year is called in China, passes quite unnoticed for most residents of the country. You can meet European New Year trees and Santa Clauses only in large shopping centers, but they are most likely perceived as a tribute to Western traditions.

The fact is that even before 1949, the Chinese lived according to the lunar calendar, and began counting the New Year with the Spring Festival. After the creation of the People's Republic of China, the government officially recognized January 1 as a public holiday. However, the Western New Year could not compete with the traditional Chinese Spring Festival. It falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. It is on this day that it is customary to organize noisy festivals and holidays, launch fireworks and lanterns, and organize family dinners.

A couple of years ago, Saudi Arabia officially banned celebrating the New Year. But this state is far from the only one where our traditional New Year’s celebration goes completely unnoticed. It turns out that New Year is not celebrated on January 1 in many countries.
On New Year's Eve, residents of our latitudes drink champagne, set off colorful fireworks and eat Olivier. It seemed that the whole world was celebrating the New Year at this moment. But this is by no means true. Somewhere thousands of kilometers away, an ordinary Indian or Iranian is quietly snoring on New Year's Eve - in the morning he has a regular working day ahead of him.

Israel

In Israel, January 1 is also a regular working day, unless of course the first day of the new year happens on Saturday - a holy day for Jews. Israelis celebrate their New Year in the fall - on the new moon of the month of Tishrei according to the Jewish calendar (September or October). This holiday is called Rosh Hashanah. It is celebrated for 2 days. And many traditions, rituals and ceremonies are associated with its celebration in Israel.
As a rule, the traditions of celebrating the New Year in the sense in which it is understood in Europe and North America are supported by the Russian diaspora living in Israel. And here everyone gets out as best they can. People try to take time off from work and traditionally celebrate the holiday with family and friends. Some people get ready at home, while others go to a Russian restaurant.
Some Israelis believe that celebrants are celebrating the day of the Catholic Saint Sylvester, which falls on December 31. Therefore, the country often calls the New Year “Sylvester”.
China

New Year - in China (where it is now called Yuan Dan) passes quite unnoticed. Only in large department stores and shopping centers, paying tribute to Western traditions, do they place shiny artificial Christmas trees and doll Santa Clauses here and there, and the Chinese send electronic New Year cards to their Western friends. And even then this is done for Christmas, and not for the New Year.
“Yuan-dan” means the first, initial day of the new year (yuan means “beginning”, dan means “dawn”, or simply “day”). The New Year in China until the 20th century was counted according to the lunar calendar, and not at all according to the calendar we are used to, and Yuan Dan was celebrated on the first day of the first lunar month.
On September 27, 1949, the government of the newly created People's Republic of China decided to call the first day of the lunar calendar "Spring Festival" (Chun Jie), and the first day of January according to the Western calendar - "Yuan Dan". Since then, January 1st has become an official public holiday in China. But even today, the Chinese still do not celebrate this day, not perceiving it as a holiday, marking the change of years. The “Western” New Year is not a competitor to the Lunar or Spring Festival.
Saudi Arabia

The religious police of Saudi Arabia Al Mutawa warned citizens and foreigners living in the kingdom about a ban on New Year celebrations. A special unit of law enforcement agencies, announcing the inadmissibility of the celebration, is guided by a fatwa (religious injunction in Islam) issued by the supreme committee of the Saudi ulema (Islamic preachers), since Muslims follow the lunar calendar.
Police officers are contacting shops selling flowers and gifts so that they do not sell a number of goods that can be purchased on the occasion of this holiday. Al Mutawa closely monitors compliance with regulations in strictly conservative Saudi Arabia. However, cases of abuse of power on the part of this department were often recorded, which, in particular, led to human casualties.
The New Year according to the Islamic calendar is celebrated on the vernal equinox on March 21, which almost always corresponds to the first day of the holy month of Muharram. The calendar is calculated from the Hegira (July 16, 622 AD) - the date of the migration of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Muslims from Mecca to Medina.
Iran

January 1 is not a holiday at all in Iran. The country lives according to its own calendar. For example, the year is now 1392 in Iran. The Iranian calendar or Solar Hijri is an astronomical solar calendar that was developed with the participation of Omar Khayyam, and has since been updated several times.
New Year in Iran is celebrated according to the calendar on the first day of spring, which corresponds to March 22 of the Gregorian calendar. The New Year holiday in Iran is called Nowruz (or Noruz), and the first spring month is called Favardin.
By the way, Nowruz is celebrated not only in Iran, but also in many countries where the ancient Persians managed to “inherit” a fair amount. For example, the year in Afghanistan begins with Nowruz. Along with January 1, Navruz is celebrated in Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Albania and Macedonia.
India

There are so many holidays in multicultural India that if we had to celebrate everything, there would be no time to work. Therefore, some of them became “holidays by choice.” On these days, all institutions and offices are open, but employees can take time off. January 1st is one of these holidays.
In addition, there are several other options for celebrating the arrival of the New Year in the Indian subcontinent.
March 22 marks the New Year according to the unified national calendar of India. In Maharashtra it is celebrated as Gudi Padwa and in Andhra Pradesh it is called Ugadi. In Kerala, New Year is celebrated on April 13th. It is called Vishu. Sikhs celebrate their New Year, Vaisakhi, on the same day. In South India, Divapali is widely celebrated in the fall, which also signifies the arrival of the new year.

Recently, Saudi Arabia officially banned celebrating the New Year. But this state is far from the only one where our traditional New Year’s celebration goes completely unnoticed. New Year is not celebrated on January 1 in many countries.

On New Year's Eve, residents of our latitudes drink champagne, set off colorful fireworks and eat Olivier. It seemed that the whole world was celebrating the New Year at this moment. But this is by no means true. Somewhere thousands of kilometers away, an ordinary Indian or Iranian is quietly snoring on New Year's Eve - in the morning he has a regular working day ahead of him.

1. Saudi Arabia

The religious police of Saudi Arabia Al Mutawa warned citizens and foreigners living in the kingdom about a ban on New Year celebrations. A special unit of law enforcement agencies, announcing the inadmissibility of the celebration, is guided by a fatwa (religious injunction in Islam) issued by the supreme committee of the Saudi ulema (Islamic preachers), since Muslims follow the lunar calendar.

Police officers are contacting shops selling flowers and gifts so that they do not sell a number of goods that can be purchased on the occasion of this holiday. Al Mutawa closely monitors compliance with regulations in strictly conservative Saudi Arabia. However, cases of abuse of power on the part of this department were often recorded, which, in particular, led to human casualties.

The New Year according to the Islamic calendar is celebrated on the vernal equinox on March 21, which almost always corresponds to the first day of the holy month of Muharram. The calendar is calculated from the Hegira (July 16, 622 AD) - the date of the migration of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Muslims from Mecca to Medina.

2. Israel

In Israel, January 1 is also a regular working day, unless of course the first day of the new year happens on Saturday - a holy day for Jews. Israelis celebrate their New Year in the fall - on the new moon of the month of Tishrei according to the Jewish calendar (September or October). This holiday is called Rosh Hashanah. It is celebrated for 2 days. And many traditions, rituals and ceremonies are associated with its celebration in Israel.

As a rule, the traditions of celebrating the New Year in the sense in which it is understood in Europe and North America are supported by the Russian diaspora living in Israel. And here everyone gets out as best they can. People try to take time off from work and traditionally celebrate the holiday with family and friends. Some people get ready at home, while others go to a Russian restaurant.

Some Israelis believe that celebrants are celebrating the day of the Catholic Saint Sylvester, which falls on December 31. Therefore, the country often calls the New Year “Sylvester”.

January 1 is not a holiday at all in Iran. The country lives according to its own calendar. For example, the year is now 1392 in Iran. The Iranian calendar or Solar Hijri is an astronomical solar calendar that was developed with the participation of Omar Khayyam, and has since been updated several times.

New Year in Iran is celebrated according to the calendar on the first day of spring, which corresponds to March 22 of the Gregorian calendar. The New Year holiday in Iran is called Nowruz (or Noruz), and the first spring month is called Favardin.

By the way, Nowruz is celebrated not only in Iran, but also in many countries where the ancient Persians managed to “inherit” a fair amount. For example, the year in Afghanistan begins with Nowruz. Along with January 1, Navruz is celebrated in Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Albania and Macedonia.

There are so many holidays in multicultural India that if we had to celebrate everything, there would be no time to work. Therefore, some of them became “holidays by choice.” On these days, all institutions and offices are open, but employees can take time off. January 1st is one of these holidays.

In addition, there are several other options for celebrating the arrival of the New Year in the Indian subcontinent.

March 22 marks the New Year according to the unified national calendar of India. In Maharashtra it is celebrated as Gudi Padwa and in Andhra Pradesh it is called Ugadi. In Kerala, New Year is celebrated on April 13th. It is called Vishu. Sikhs celebrate their New Year, Vaisakhi, on the same day. In South India, Divapali is widely celebrated in the fall, which also signifies the arrival of the new year.

New Year - in China (where it is now called Yuan Dan) passes quite unnoticed. Only in large department stores and shopping centers, paying tribute to Western traditions, do they place shiny artificial Christmas trees and doll Santa Clauses here and there, and the Chinese send electronic New Year cards to their Western friends. And even then this is done for Christmas, and not for the New Year.

“Yuan-dan” means the first, initial day of the new year (yuan means “beginning”, dan means “dawn”, or simply “day”). The New Year in China until the 20th century was counted according to the lunar calendar, and not at all according to the calendar we are used to, and Yuan Dan was celebrated on the first day of the first lunar month.

On September 27, 1949, the government of the newly created People's Republic of China decided to call the first day of the lunar calendar "Spring Festival" (Chun Jie), and the first day of January according to the Western calendar - "Yuan Dan". Since then, January 1st has become an official public holiday in China. But even today, the Chinese still do not celebrate this day, not perceiving it as a holiday, marking the change of years. The “Western” New Year is not a competitor to the Lunar or Spring Festival.

On New Year's Eve, Ukrainians drink champagne, watch "The Irony of Fate" and eat Olivier. It seemed that the whole world was celebrating the New Year at this moment. But this is by no means true. Somewhere thousands of kilometers away, an ordinary Indian or Iranian is quietly snoring on New Year's Eve - in the morning he will have a normal working day. tochka.net I chose 5 countries for which January 1 is not a holiday.

  • Countries that do not celebrate New Year - Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia does not celebrate New Year at all. The fact is that celebrating the change of dates is considered alien to Islam in principle. Therefore, if you find yourself in the capital of the state, the city of Riyadh, on January 1, do not be surprised at the absolutely everyday picture. For the faithful in Saudi Arabia, there are only three holidays: Independence Day, the celebration of the end of the month of Ramadan and the Feast of Sacrifice. Oh, and Friday is a day of rest in the Muslim world. However, Muslims may accept an invitation to a New Year's dinner, but reluctantly, rather out of a sense of duty, so as not to offend friends of other faiths. Therefore, those who wish celebrate the New Year at closed parties or with family.

  • Countries that do not celebrate New Year - Israel

5 countries where they don't celebrate New Year © Getty Images

In Israel, they also work on January 1, unless, of course, it is Saturday - a holy day for Jews. Israelis celebrate their New Year in the fall - on the new moon of the month of Tishrei according to the Jewish calendar (September or October). This holiday is called Rosh Hashanah. It is celebrated for 2 days. And January 1 is celebrated mainly by people from the countries of the former USSR. They try to take time off from work and traditionally celebrate the holiday with family and friends. The most interesting thing: some Israelis believe that the celebrants are celebrating the day of the Catholic Saint Sylvester, which falls on December 31st. Therefore, the country often calls the New Year “Sylvester”. Some Israelis, those who are not in the know, even consider the holiday anti-Semitic, because the saint was the Pope and successfully lured Jews to Christianity.

  • Countries that do not celebrate New Year - Iran

5 countries where they don't celebrate New Year © Getty Images

January 1 is an ordinary day in Iran too. The country lives according to the Persian calendar. New Year is celebrated in Iran on the vernal equinox - March 21. The holiday is called Navruz, that is, a new day. By the way, Nowruz is celebrated not only in Iran, but also in many countries where the ancient Persians managed to “inherit” a fair amount. Nowruz marks the beginning of the year in Afghanistan. Along with January 1, it is celebrated in Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Albania and Macedonia.

  • Countries where New Year is not celebrated - India

5 countries where they don't celebrate New Year © Getty Images

There are so many holidays in multicultural India that if we had to celebrate everything, there would be no time to work. Therefore, some of them have become "holidays by choice." On these days, all institutions and offices are open, but employees can take time off. January 1st is one of these holidays. March 22 marks the New Year according to the unified national calendar of India. In Kerala, New Year is celebrated on April 13th. It is called Vishu. Sikhs celebrate their New Year - Vaisakhi - on the same day. In South India, Divapali is widely celebrated in the fall, which also signifies the arrival of the new year. This is not a complete list of New Year's days that can be celebrated in India. By the way, among the “holidays to choose from” there is also Catholic Christmas.

  • Countries that do not celebrate New Year - South Korea

5 countries where they don't celebrate New Year © Shutterstock

In South Korea, January 1 is a day off. Decorated Christmas trees and Santa Clauses are common here. But the beginning of the year in Korea is perceived not as a holiday, but as an extra long-awaited day off, which can be spent in a pleasant circle of family and friends. But if anything is celebrated on an unprecedented scale, it is Seollal - New Year according to the lunar calendar. On this day, most Koreans go to their hometowns to honor their ancestors. Because travel can be time-consuming, the day before and immediately after New Year's Day are also considered national holidays. 3 days off together is an unprecedented luxury for South Korea, because the practice of transferring weekends to weekdays if a holiday falls on a weekend does not exist here.