Austrian New Year's Eve Traditions
Since I live in this great little country, I thought I would tell y'all about how the Austrians get down on New Year's Eve. Now, I have spent some incredible Eves around the world in awesome places. I think one of the best ones was standing at Red Square for Y2K. We were on CNN and I was all like "wow, I am coming across so mature and awesome! Let me just swig this Russian sparkling wine right out of the bottle and yell into the camera. Pure class". Another time I spent it on the top of the CN tower - that was a little disappointing because in fact, we were too high up to actually see the fireworks in their full glory. Instead, it just looked like little flashes of lights down way below. One year I danced with a Saudi prince at a Hilton hotel - I was 9.
When I was a teenager and we were living in Wien, my dad took my sister and me to one of his acquaintance's villas in the 18th district. It was a majestic place and everybody was dressed up in black tie and gowns and I remember one woman asking me to hum the waltz with her. She was terrifying and wearing lots of black lace and holding a feathered fan while she perched on an antique chair (we have a similar chair at my parents' home. We have never been allowed to sit on it. Sometimes we squat just above it to make my mom noivous). She kept taking sips of champagne and drags off her gold and white Sobranie cigarette and I knew that one day I wanted to grow up and be her. I am so putting on a ball gown tonight. Anyway. We left the party just before midnight and my dad told me we just missed the traditional goulasch. In Vienna, at midnight, you open all the windows in the house (we have a small apartment so we will be opening about 5 windows tonight) and let the new year in. Then you waltz. After that dose of fresh air, you eat goulasch.
In the centre of Vienna there is also the Silverster pfad which is pretty much an outdoor pubcrawl with bands in various locations. We have done this a couple of times and I hate it to the core of my being. There are crowds and in these crowds are idiots who think it is a great idea to set off fireworks into crowds. I get twitchy. Of course, there are other indoor events around the city but these are usually expensive. Can you tell I am really looking forward to a night in? CAUSE I AM!
There is also the lead melting I mentioned in my previous post. What is this lead melting I speak of? I have no idea what the origins are but what it is is small pieces of metal that are in the shape of lucky things; mushrooms, pigs, lanterns (don't ask me why these are lucky...I mean, bacon is great and all, but lucky? Not for the pig.) So anyway, you get a spoon and then you place the little metal figure on the spoon and then you melt the lead and that takes a while and then when the whole thing looks like the Terminator when he melts, you pour it into a glass of water. Then you fish out the piece and look at it and then figure out what the hell it resembles and then you refer to the paper that comes with the kit and it tells you what the next year will bring.
Since we are staying home, we will be watching a lot of the television. If you are in Vienna, turn on ORF 1 and get ready for Wir Sind Kaiser. Now, I am not usually a huge fan of Austrian comedy but this show is highlarious. The guy who plays the Kaiser is an amazing comedian and has such a dry sense of humour. Throughout the night, the show will pop up and different guests will be featured. In between, viewers will get to see Ein Echter Wiener which was a huge hit back in the 70s. I don't get it but the New Year's Eve episode is kind of amusing. After that is Dinner For One which is actually really funny. The odd thing about this short film is that it is British but only the Germanic crowd watches it. After that, there is Wir Sind Kaiser for a few more minutes and then there is the ringing of the Stephansdom bell and then the Blue Danube Waltz. There is something truly special about the whole thing and I tend to get goose bumps at midnight - and not just because I am cold.
So, I wish you all a Guten Rutsch (a good slide) into the new year! I will be toasting you all around the world! May 2014 be what we are all looking for! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Oh, and for those of you with kids (meaning you will be up anyway early in the morning), watch the New Year's Day concert at the Musik Verein in the morning on the 1st. I plan to watch with a Bloody Mary grasped in my hand!
When I was a teenager and we were living in Wien, my dad took my sister and me to one of his acquaintance's villas in the 18th district. It was a majestic place and everybody was dressed up in black tie and gowns and I remember one woman asking me to hum the waltz with her. She was terrifying and wearing lots of black lace and holding a feathered fan while she perched on an antique chair (we have a similar chair at my parents' home. We have never been allowed to sit on it. Sometimes we squat just above it to make my mom noivous). She kept taking sips of champagne and drags off her gold and white Sobranie cigarette and I knew that one day I wanted to grow up and be her. I am so putting on a ball gown tonight. Anyway. We left the party just before midnight and my dad told me we just missed the traditional goulasch. In Vienna, at midnight, you open all the windows in the house (we have a small apartment so we will be opening about 5 windows tonight) and let the new year in. Then you waltz. After that dose of fresh air, you eat goulasch.
In the centre of Vienna there is also the Silverster pfad which is pretty much an outdoor pubcrawl with bands in various locations. We have done this a couple of times and I hate it to the core of my being. There are crowds and in these crowds are idiots who think it is a great idea to set off fireworks into crowds. I get twitchy. Of course, there are other indoor events around the city but these are usually expensive. Can you tell I am really looking forward to a night in? CAUSE I AM!
There is also the lead melting I mentioned in my previous post. What is this lead melting I speak of? I have no idea what the origins are but what it is is small pieces of metal that are in the shape of lucky things; mushrooms, pigs, lanterns (don't ask me why these are lucky...I mean, bacon is great and all, but lucky? Not for the pig.) So anyway, you get a spoon and then you place the little metal figure on the spoon and then you melt the lead and that takes a while and then when the whole thing looks like the Terminator when he melts, you pour it into a glass of water. Then you fish out the piece and look at it and then figure out what the hell it resembles and then you refer to the paper that comes with the kit and it tells you what the next year will bring.
Since we are staying home, we will be watching a lot of the television. If you are in Vienna, turn on ORF 1 and get ready for Wir Sind Kaiser. Now, I am not usually a huge fan of Austrian comedy but this show is highlarious. The guy who plays the Kaiser is an amazing comedian and has such a dry sense of humour. Throughout the night, the show will pop up and different guests will be featured. In between, viewers will get to see Ein Echter Wiener which was a huge hit back in the 70s. I don't get it but the New Year's Eve episode is kind of amusing. After that is Dinner For One which is actually really funny. The odd thing about this short film is that it is British but only the Germanic crowd watches it. After that, there is Wir Sind Kaiser for a few more minutes and then there is the ringing of the Stephansdom bell and then the Blue Danube Waltz. There is something truly special about the whole thing and I tend to get goose bumps at midnight - and not just because I am cold.
So, I wish you all a Guten Rutsch (a good slide) into the new year! I will be toasting you all around the world! May 2014 be what we are all looking for! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Oh, and for those of you with kids (meaning you will be up anyway early in the morning), watch the New Year's Day concert at the Musik Verein in the morning on the 1st. I plan to watch with a Bloody Mary grasped in my hand!
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