new year

As part of Foreign Fridays, we explore a different country each week through its most unusual, amusing and odd facts. If you want your country to appear, then simply get in contact with us either in the comments below or through Facebook or Twitter.

This week it is the turn of the Iran:

For Nowruz (Iranian New Year), there are seven symbolic items
that are part of the traditional table setting, including
a mirror, goldfish and painted eggs. 

As part of a brand new version of Foreign Fridays, we will be exploring a different country each week through its most unusual, amusing and odd facts. We will post it right here on the blog, as well as on the all new Foreign Fridays page. If you want your country to appear, then simply get in contact with us either in the comments below or through Facebook or Twitter.

As we enter in to 2012, the fact for Foreign Fridays this week had to be related to New Year's really didn't it? Well we've come up with a cracker for Japan.

At midnight on New Year's Eve in Japan, Buddhist temples strike a gong 108 times, with each ring representing one of the 108 types of human weakness that must overcome to achieve nirvana.

On December 31st, billions of people across the world celebrated the end of 2011 and the start of 2012, with fireworks, balloons and even grape eating.

In the UK, thousands of street parties were held up and down the country. The biggest by far was held in London where 250,000 people gathered along the River Thames to watch a massive firework display at the London Eye. Triggered by the Big Ben bell striking midnight, the 11 minute display had an amazing 12,000 fireworks. It had an Olympic theme, and mayor Boris Johnson enthused: "Our New Year fireworks were a brilliant start to a spectacular year. This is just the beginning - as the eyes of the world turn to London for the Olympic and Paralympic Games."

Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, also saw tens of thousands of revellers turn out for the city's historic and world famous Hogmanay street party. As 5.5 tonnes of fireworks lit up the night sky, more than 20 music acts performed to the crowds over seven stages.