All around the world people love to celebrate the moment in time when the old year ends and the new one begins. It’s like a birthday party for everyone. New technologies can come into play, alongside some age-old traditions like baking a coin into a loaf of bread. Here’s a look some New Year’s traditions from around the world.
1. How many LEDs are there in the Times Square ball? At the Times Square web site http://bit.ly/1QX1mrJ you can learn about the history and technology behind this famous ball. The first ball, made in 1927, only had 100 white bulbs. Today’s fourth edition has 32,256 LEDs (light emitting diodes) grouped in 672 triangles of 48 bulbs each. Each contains 12 red, 12 blue, 12 green, and 12 white LED bulbs that work together to make 16 million colors.
2. Denmark, Greece and Canada each have some unique low tech New Year’s traditions. Can you match the country with the tradition?
a) Who bakes a coin into a loaf of bread? __________________
b) Who throws porcelain plates into the street? _____________
c) Who jumps into a frozen lake? ________________
ANSWERS: At Travel Smarter http://bit.ly/1OU9CCB you learn that people in Greece wrap a coin in tin foil and drop it randomly into some bread dough before it is baked. Whoever gets the lucky piece will have good luck for the next year. In Canada and the USA, some people jump into a frozen lakes http://bit.ly/1N3TpKM. And in Denmark http://bit.ly/1OgYlA6 they toss fancy plates into the street to symbolize a fresh start to a new year.
3. What does “Auld Lang Syne” mean? The famous New Year’s song was popularized by big band leader Guy Lombardo. It comes from Scotland, and is about the joy of getting together with old friends. Here’s the complete story http://bitly.com/1R3NyM2.
Megan’s Videos About New Year’s Tech Traditions
Here’s a set of hand picked videos from YouTube:
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