It’s time to wrap up the year 2006 and welcome the new one. By this the last chapter is written and I’ll start with a blank sheet and a sharp pen in 2007. It’s been a wonderful blog year for me, I’ve met a bunch of lovely people all over the world and have shared and exchanged interesting facts and thoughts about culture, traditions and habits with you all. Thanks to all visitors and commenter’s who have made this year an educating eye opener for me. I’m pretty sure you have learned something about Norway and the Nordic countries too:-) I’ll summarise with my mottos: Blogging –Connecting people and –Bridging the cultural gaps! So lets all go on: –Make Blogs, not wars!
You know I always like to give something special from Norway and the Nordic countries so let me introduce my last story this year with this picture:
Every year we buy our own fireworks and its big business in the days before New Years Eve. I can’t remember doing it when I was young, but ever since I have had children of my own, we’ve had fun with it. They were always exited of course and every year they helped me build a ramp with snow and ice to secure a safe launch. We often had a party with friends in the neighbourhood and one year I remember one of the fathers launched fireworks for almost an hour. That year it was – 20C (-5F) and since we stood watching so long, the champagne almost froze in the glasses. You see one pic from this hilarious evening at left!
This year we are in Sweden, just so that you know they do this here too. As you can see in the pics, there are plenty to choose from and the clerk is eager to demonstrate, showing the fireworks effect on the monitor. One can stay there for hours just to watch and build up the anticipation.
This year I’ve chosen a box which has a great variety of effects. I didn’t want single fireworks on sticks, because there is no snow to build ramps right now. With this package you just light the fuse and move away, the fireworks light themselves one after another as you watch from a safe distance. If you look at the box, it says: ‘Cocktail’, so cheers and Happy New Year to you all!
This evening there is lobster, crab, craw fish and shrimp on the menu, so we’ll have a seafood extravaganza to celebrate 2006 and welcome 2007:-)
I’ll end this year with greetings to all my lovely blog friends in your own language:
Danish – Godt Nytår
Dutch – Gelukking Nieuwjaar
Finnish – Onnellista Uutta Vuotta
French – Bonne Annee
German – Prosit Neujahr
Indonesian – Selamat Tahun Baru
Italian – Felice anno nuovo
Japan – Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu
Norwegian – Godt Nyttår
Philippines – Manigong Bagong Taon
Spanish – Feliz Ano ~Nuevo
Swedish – Gott nytt år!
Thai – Sawadee Pee Mai
Vietnamese – Chuc Mung Tan Nien
my wish for you <<< FROHES NEUES JAHR! :)
GODT NYTT ÅR.
Plain Old Happy New Year from Ontario, Canada, Renny! Good thing the clerk didn’t want to give you a real live demonstration of the fireworks while you were still in the store!! HA! What a neat idea to show you on the video which proves it must be a very big thing there.
Do you have snow in the mountains there? My husband talked to someone while skiing yesterday who is going to a World race in Austria and they have a metre in the mountains. They’d usually have more perhaps. Still not much here…he skied on a 2 k loop of man made snow! No big storms in sight either.
Have a BLAST of colour tonight and I’ll look forward to any pics!!
Happy New Year
and in my Lithuanian it sounds so:
Laimingu Naujuju Metu!
Thant’s what I wish you the most
Have a Happy & Healthy New Year!
K
Renny – the fireworks sound like so much fun! You see that is the difference. We have never really seen much of that here. There is a bit, especially in Rainy Vancouver. But we used to do this until I was 5! Then sadly they banned it in California because of the fire danger. Life hasn’t been the same since…
And then you talk about Seafood like that. My mouth is watering. It reminds me of a visit I made to Las Vegas back in 2000 or so and had the most incredible meal of my life….
Happy New Year!
Ah, an even more sparkling post than ever I would say Renny :-)
Yes, we really are big on fireworks in Sweden too, have always been as long as I remember it.
We even had an own customized firework (hired a company to fire it off) that ended our wedding party in 2004, that was an one in a lifetime moment I tell you! Mr L loves firworks so he was like a kid on xmas :-)
Thanks for a lot of lovely moments – I’m so glad that I found your blog this year!
We have a lot of joy and laughter coming up though, so:
CHEERS TO 2007!!!!
*showering champagne all over the place*
Thank you very much, Renny…and a very Happy New Year to you and your family!
We are not allowed to have fireworks here in California…too dangerous, they say…so, Fireworks are only used in a restricted fashion…! But where they are, they are certainly BEAUTIFUL! Love that box you showed!
Have a very Healthy and Happy 2007 Renny!
Your seafood dinner sounds wonderful!
I love the idea of all the fireworks. Here it is traditional to honk car horns and light firecrackers (which are illegal) at midnight!
Firworks are not allowed in California except on Fourth of July!
Happy New Year to you and to Diane!
Here in Australia it is custumary to go out and run over a rabbit or two at midnight to celebrate the New Year. Rabbits are a problem here, as I’m sure you know, so it’s considered good luck to mow them down with your cars. In fact, I usually aim for them, so I’m a pretty lucky guy!
Buon Anno!!!!
Renny, wishing you and your family a joyous and peaceful New Year!
that is some devoted fireworks fun to brave such cold! in trinidad they say good bye to 2006 on old year’s night before greeting the new year with fish broth.
Godt Nyttår!
Godt Nyttår Renny and family! I so happy I found your blog and I love the ‘make blogs not war’ motto. May it be true in 2007 and beyond!
Godt nytt år Renny og Diane!!!
I wish you a bountiful 2007. :)
Manigong Bagong Taon :)
Happy New Year, from New Hampshire, USA!!!
Happy New Year to you and yours!!!
You forgot Polish: Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku
That is so wonderful Renny! Happy Great Year ahead!
Happy New Year Rennyba and family!!!
may 2007 be a great one for you and your loved ones. Manigong Bagong Taon (now you have go back to your list)…
Hi All: Thanks for your greetings. Looking at where you comes for really shows Blogging Connecting People. I feel honored to have so many friends all over the world and am looking forward to more blog fun in the Year to come.
Wow, that’s perfect Tagalog, Renny! I was thrilled to see fireworks shot up to the sky last night, and especially from where I was watching it, I could see the city of Oslo from a distance, blanketed by a fiery sky! Surreal! Happy 2007!!!
I hope your celebration was a good one!
Happy new year!!!
Godt nytt ar Renny!!!
Thanks for coming by, lookin forward to reading more of your blog throughout the year. Need to know as much as I can about Norway before I move there ;)
We have fireworks here in England aswell. I hope you had a great New Year!
You really know how to eat over there! A happy new year to you and yours.
Happy new year ,looks like you were ready to fire them off ! and all the pics of the food , scrumptous! I really enjoy reading your blog ,thanks for sharing
Take care
Greeneyes
Happy New Year to you too!
Godt nyttår :)
I was real confused right now, Renny, to see several posts from you that were NOT there when I pulled up your site a couple days ago. I notice it sometimes happens that after you pull up a site, you have to refresh the screen (which you shouldn’t have to do). Anyway, I feel waaaaay behind on you. So sorry.
The fireworks remind me of our 4th of July and how we pick up tons of them on our way up to the cottage each year from Atlanta. In fact, we buy them for the entire family because you can’t buy them in every state. How fun.
Happy New Year. You were an important part of my blogging life in 2006. I can only wish for the same in 2007! :)
Here in the Philippines, as well.
We have this ‘baratillo’ (open -market) in a province called Bulacan where they market solely firecrackers and fireworks for everyone in the Philippines. A lot of people purchase their fireworks there. But for us? Nah, we’re too scared to lose some of our fingers and limbs. The number of firecracker casualties increased in 50%.
We also have the media noche (New Year’s Eve feast) similar to the Noche Buena.
Happy New YEar, toO!
I hope that ALL OF YOU have a great new year. And if you find that you’re going to have a trip “Down Under,” maybe we can get together for a “Rennie Celebration” here is Australia!
Big Pig and Piglett and I would love to meet any and all of you.
I have always known firework on New Year in Germany even when I was a child. And my parents too. But when I came to Belgium in 1959 and the there living Germans made a firework in their garden on New Year, the Belgians were horrified and called the firemen !! Since a few years now it is also costum here and the annual firework in Brussels is very big ! Only this year for the first time it had to be cancelled due to Terrorist alarm. People are very angry about this they are not used to something like that, it’s such a quiet country usually
I wish you a very happy New Year !.