In Switzerland as well, this is no different. In fact, there are some New Year customs in Switzerland, which despite being similar with other in other places, have their own unique Swiss touch. Celebrations in Switzerland begin on New Year eve, with a gathering of family and friends.

Ideally, there are no traditions dishes which are associated with New Year celebrations. However, many people prefer to celebrate this special occasion with sweets and desserts. Often families gather together to make the dishes, but buying from the store is also preferred in many places. Basically, making or buying the food at New Year it is all about convenience.

New Year in Switzerland

Traditionally, Swiss celebrate New Year twice in a year. The country follows the Julian calendar, so they celebrate New Year for a second time on 13th January.

This day also marks Sylvester's Day – a traditional day for exchanging gifts and dining with the family.

During the festive season, Swiss take to the streets in colorful costumes and perform the symbolic ceremony of chasing away sprits.

The great thing about this second celebration is that, if you cannot be in the country on 31st December, you can still take part and witness the celebrations in 13th January.

New Year Celebrations in Switzerland

Some of the festivities witnessed around this time are pretty much similar to what you can see in other places. Live music, extravagant display of fireworks and free flowing drinks, are some of them.

The New Year celebrations at the banks of the River Limmat and Lake Zurich attract more than 150,000 people every year. The festivities here feature ringing of the church bells at midnight and illuminating the sky with spectacular fireworks.

If you like to celebrate New Year well into the night, the city of Zurich is an ideal choice. Here, the live music pauses only for the fireworks, and then runs till 3 in the morning.

The city has excellent public transport services, which can be used by revelers to go back to their hotels. You will enjoy the wonderful New Year celebrations here, with family and friends. Apart from these two cities, other places in Switzerland also see exciting festivities around this time.

New Year vacation in Switzerland

Many people prefer to welcome the New Year in Switzerland. And why not, Switzerland is a beautiful country and this comes out in the fore, during the winter season. Every year thousand of tourists head over to the Swiss cities to take part and see the celebrations there.

During this time, you will find snow everywhere and this is one of the charms of being in Switzerland at that time. However, you must remember that there is more to celebrating New Year in Switzerland than the snows. There are many interesting New Year traditions in Switzerland, which have been followed for years.