The Air & Sea Magazine from Gebrüder Weiss 03/07

orange globe –
inside
Happy New Year!
Nearly all cultures celebrate the turn of the year with their own special traditions and festivities.
But it’s not just how the new year is celebrated throughout the world that is very different –
when it is celebrated is not the same everywhere either.
This is due the different calendars on the one hand,
and how the International Date Line runs on the
other. For example, the inhabitants of the Kingdom
of Tonga, an ar-chipelago in the Pacific Ocean, will
be the first to wake up on 1 January 2008.
In Samoa, however, only about 1,500 kilometres
further northeast, this won’t happen until 24 hours
later. orange globe asked employees from the
Weiss-Röhlig network when and how New Year’s
is celebrated where they are.
Twice is Twice the Fun
This only happens in Cape Town: Here, New Year’s
is celebrated not once, but twice. On 2 January, the
carnival-like festivities reach their climax with the holiday
“Tweede Nuwe Jaar” (“Second New Year”). Thousands of
people in brightly coloured and elaborate costumes sing
and dance as they parade through the city. They are armed
with drums, trumpets and colourful umbrellas – that match
their costumes, of course – and whistles that hang from
their necks. The so-called “Coon Carnival“ is a celebration
of the mixed culture found in South Africa’s “mother city”
that can be traced back to Malaysia, New Orleans, Africa,
Holland and England. The colourful parade has its roots
in the people’s parades after the abolishment of slavery
in the 19th century. Coloured people remained wage
slaves at that time, but because they didn’t have to serve
the white people on “Tweede Nuwe Jaar” they used this
day to celebrate. Ever since Nelson Mandela took part in
the festivities as a masked “coon” among the lively crowd
nine years ago, it’s been official: The “Coon Carnival” is
a part of the new South Africa.
Candice du Randt, Sales Manager,
Rohlig Grindrod, South Africa
A Big Deal
New Year’s in New York – “a big deal”! People from
around the globe come to the city that never sleeps to
celebrate New Year’s. The preparations for the gigantic
party are already in full swing the day before, and New York
City seems to be one huge construction site. Then on the
31 December more than 500,000 people gather at Times
Square in the heart of Manhattan. Spellbound, they (and
nearly a billion people in front of the television screen)
watch and cheer at exactly 23:59 p.m. as a sparkling ball,
the legendary “New Year’s Eve Ball”, slowly drops from the
top of building number one. They are “ringing in” the New
Year. After the “ball drop”, the masses of people pour into
the countless clubs and bars in New York City. Tickets
have to be purchased up to a year in advance. Nevertheless,
most of the bars are crowded to overflowing. Those
who have lived in New York for a long time like to avoid
Times Square altogether: Many prefer to celebreate New
Year’s far away from the (tourist) chaos, with their families
or at private parties.
Thomas Gilgen, Branch Manager New York Office,
Weiss-Röhlig USA
Lion Dance into the Year of the Rat
The festivities surrounding the Chinese New Year begin
in Hong Kong on the second new moon after the winter
solstice. For 15 days, they shape the life of the former
British crown colony. The families have already cleaned
their homes from top to bottom to sweep out the bad luck
from the past years and make room for the good luck that
is to come. The Lion Dance at the start of the New Year
festivities is the traditional way of welcoming the deities of
the heavens and earth. On the following day, the Chinese
pray to their ancestors and the gods. In the coming year, 7
February will be the day when the Year of the Rat moves on
into the Year of the Pig. On this occasion, the government
organises a gigantic fireworks display in Victoria Harbour.
People wish each other Happy New Year by say ing “Mit Xin
Nian Kuai Le” (in Mandarin) or “Gong hay fat choy” (in Cantonese).
Even with all of the Chinese traditions there is still
room for a touch of the “West”: In Hong Kong there are a
good number of people who also celebrate the Western
New Year with “countdown parties” on 31 December.
Monica Tang, Weiss-Röhlig Hong Kong
Life according to the Lunar
Calendar
In Dubai, 1 January is just like any other day of the year
as the local people don’t celebrate the Western New Year at
all. The Islamic calendar doesn’t begin with the birth of
Christ but rather with the Hijra, the departure of
the prophet Mohammed from Mecca to Medina. For this
reason, the Islamic calendar is also called the “emigration”
calendar in Arabic. It is solely a lunar calendar and,
depending on the phase of the moon, is ten or eleven days
shorter than the Gregorian solar calendar. According to this
calendar, the Islamic world is currently in the year 1428, until
the New Year begins on 10 January 2008.
Most foreigners invite friends into their homes on New
Year’s to spend the last day of the year with them. I personally
like to cook something special. Organising sparkling
wine and beer can be quite a challenge. A special licence is
required in Dubai to be able to purchase beverages that
contain alcohol. This year I’m going to take off a few days so
that I can celebrate New Year’s at home in Austria.
Bernd Dona, Management Assistant Dubai Office,
Weiss-Röhlig UAE
Imprint: orange globe, the customer magazine of Gebrüder Weiss Ges.m.b.H.. Media owner, editor, publisher: Gebrüder Weiss Ges.m.b.H., Bundesstrasse 110,
6923 Lauterach, Austria. Responsible for the content: Michael Büchele, T +43.5223.206.441. Editorial staff: Silke Lechner, T +43.5223.206.449. Production:
Raimund Fink, Design: Dalpra&Partner, Götzis, Planning and language adaptation: Markus Grabher, grafikdesign.com, Print: Buchdruckerei Lustenau
Secret Recipes and Dreams
of Footballing Fame
Weeks before New Year’s Eve, Chilean families are
already busy discussing which aunt is going to prepare
the culinary delights and which uncle will take care of
the special alcoholic beverages. An “empanada” is a
traditional part of the meal, which is a delicious pastry
turnover with cheese or grandma’s secret mincemeat
filling. And the barbeque is on in front of every house.
There are ribs, steaks and spicy “chorizo” sausages.
Neighbours stop by to try a taste of this or that. And
there are plenty of drinks. You’ll always find the national
drink “Pisco Sour”, which is a cocktail made of Pisco
brandy, lime juice, syrup, egg whites and ice.
The boys play football in the street and dream of being
Ronaldhino, or fly kites that they can hardly see anymore in
the dark of the night. All the while, the adults sit together
outside and indulge in memories of the past: The men tell
stories to anyone who will listen about their former football
talent; the women about the beauty they had in their
youth.
At midnight, when colourful fireworks light up the sky,
they jump up and down together and hug and kiss each
other. Between the loud sounds of Latino music you can
hear the congratulations: “Feliz año nuevo!”
Anthony Roe, Managing Director Santiago Office,
Röhlig Chile
“Put a shrimp on the barby!”
A typical expression in Australia. Celebrating New
Year’s in shorts and a t-shirt – what sounds like a dream to
any European, is something that is completely normal
“down under”. Most “blokes and sheilas” bring in the New
Year with friends in the back garden over a nice barbecue
and more than a few “Tooheys”. Just like in many other
parts of the world, there are many fireworks displays – the
most spectacular of these is the New Year’s fireworks
display in Sydney over the Harbour Bridge. But the
weather has the final say if there are going to be rockets
and the like at all: Uncontrolled fireworks could easily start
a bush fire, and Australia is often home to strong winds
at this time of the year. On New Year’s day everyone
meets – where else – at the beach to surf, soak in some
rays and relax.
(A bit of Australian for you: barby = BBQ, bloke: fellow,
sheila: lady, Tooheys: Australian beer)