New Year's Day is a notable holiday celebrated extensively across Moldova. It signifies the start of the Gregorian calendar year and falls on January 1st. Moldovans commemorate this day with a plethora of festivities full of joy and anticipation for the year to come. It's a public holiday, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to participate in the various activities and celebrations that take place both privately in homes and publicly on the streets.
Moldovans make a big deal out of New Year’s Eve which they call 'Revelion'. The preparations for New Year’s Day usually start with house decorations and purchasing gifts for family and friends. The more traditional customs related to this holiday include the cutting of a New Year's pie to predict the year ahead and a symbolic first-footer activity where the first person to enter a home after midnight is expected to bring good luck for the coming year.
The most awaited part of the New Year celebration in Moldova is the spectacular displays of fireworks that light up the sky at the stroke of midnight. This is followed by the exchange of gifts, feasting on traditional foods and merry-making. The first day of the New Year is often spent visiting friends and family, extending well wishes, and sometimes enjoying winter pastimes outdoors like ice skating or sledding. Indeed, New Year's Day in Moldova is not just an event but a celebration of life and hope for the future.