British Culture British Customs and British Traditions

January

Happy New Year!

New Year's News 2012/13

England basked in sunshine as London welcomed 2013 with a New Year's Day parade that celebrated the city's Olympics success.

In the US many retailers opened their doors to shoppers; including Best Buy, Target, Apple and Wal-Mart. After all, you can't do too much shopping can you?

In Canada, hundreds of people welcomed the new year with a splash into icy waters at Polar Bear Dip events across the country. This seems to be an international phenomenon, with people jumping into the rivers and seas all over the world, but it must be particularly cold in Canada. Brrrr.

In Venezuela New Year's Festivities were cancelled after the health of president Hugo Chavez deteriorated, following his fourth cancer operation in Cuba.

Sadly, in the Ivory Coast, a fireworks show ended in tragedy when a huge crowd of people stampeded killing dozens of people, most of them children.

In 2012 we said goodbye to:

Gary Ablett, footballer
Jenny Tomasin, actress
Alan Rowlands, pianist
Bob Weston, guitarist and songwriter
Bob Holness, quiz show host
Reginald Hill, crime writer
Robbie France, musician
Dave Lee, MBE, comedian
Ray Finch, MBE, studio potter
Peter de Francia, artist
Sarah Cullen, radio and television journalist
Ian Abercrombie, actor
Colin Tarrant, actor
J. O. Urmson, philosopher

 

 

British New Year