January 1st is New Year’s Day. People all over the world celebrate this festival. On New Year’s Day there is a one-day holiday in most countries all the time. The real celebrations for New Year always happen on the night before New Year’s Day. People usually call it New Year’s Eve. There are a lot of interesting customs in the west, and there are a lot of differences from country to country. In China the Spring Festival is a family get-together. And so is Christmas in many western countries. But New Year for some families is a time to get together with their friends, too. Most people often have parties to welcome New Year. At these parties, there are all kinds of food and drink, and people often sing and dance until the time nears for the coming of New Year. On New Year Eve when midnight comes, people often say “Happy New Year” to each other. Champagne (香槟酒) is a favorite drink for New Year. In many western countries fireworks are set off at midnight, and many people like to make a noise, maybe they want to drive away bad spirits(幽灵). At New Year people often sing one important Scottish song with the name Auld Lang Syne (Good times long ago).