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New Year’s Celebrations in Guyana

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Published: 1st of January, 2023 by Patrick Carpen

Last updated: January 1, 2023 at 20:47 pm

January 1st is a national holiday in Guyana, South America. New Year’s Celebration in Guyana is pretty much the same as most other countries around the world. People have family gatherings, parties, fireworks, and other social activities. Romantic couples often try to spend the last few hours of the old year together in order to “break the new year” together. Guyanese, like other people around the world, place great emphasis on the start of the New Year. They see it as a new chapter in life, and hope that it will bring them good or better fortune.

At midnight of December 31st, fireworks bombard the air and light up the skies across the country – although this practice is discouraged by animal rights activists because of the terrorizing effect it can have on pets, particularly cats and dogs.

At the start of the New Year (just after midnight of December, 31), people hug each other and wish them a “Happy New Year.” This practice continues throughout the day, and is extended through emails, phone calls, social media messages, etc. People also make “New Year Resolutions” which are little personal promises of things they wish to accomplish or change about themselves. In my observation however, New Year’s Resolutions have a low success ratio, and people often forget their New Year’s Resolutions at some point in the year.

In my opinion, there is nothing special or particularly different about the start of a New Year. There is no physical change between December 31 and January 1, except what we create. The idea of a New Year is a human construct. It is based on manmade systems of measurements and marks one complete revolution of the earth around the sun. In reality, the only thing that separates the Old Year from the New is one second!

In the capital city of Georgetown, despite the slight showers, Guyanese turned out in their numbers to witness the fireworks display put on by the Guyana Defence Force, to usher in the New Year. (Photos by Department of Public Information)

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