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Event
Information:
New Years
Eve in Paris will be marked by a spectacular
light show centred on the Eiffel Tower.
This replaces the more traditional pyrocechnic
fireworks display. As well as this there
will also be the usual festivities and street
party on the Champs Elysees. The French
call New Year's Eve "la Saint-Sylvestre".
It is usually celebrated with a feast called
le Réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre (also
called Cap d'Any in Northern Catalonia).
This feast customarily includes special
dishes like foie gras , seafood such as
oysters and drinks like champagne. The celebration
can be a simple, intimate dinner with friends
and family or a much fancier ball (une soirée
dansante).
Paris New Year's Eve events, parties and
top celebrations
On le Jour
de l'An (New Year's Day), friends and family
exchange New Year's resolutions kisses and
wishes, the main ones being "Bonne Année",
Bonheur, Sante, Amour, Argent ("Good Year",
Happiness, Health, Love and Money). Some
people eat desserts made of ice cream.
As well as the famous fireworks, there
is a large parade that takes place for
two days around New Years. The parade
starts in nearby Chantilly and ends near
the Trocadero (under the Eiffel Tower)
on January 1. The parade includes
thousands of performers, singers,
dancers, and street entertainers that
wind their way through the streets of
Paris.
The holiday
period ends on January 6 (The Twelfth Night) for
the Epiphany , or Jour des Rois. On this
day, they celebrate the Wise Men, eating
a traditional type of flat pastry cake,
la galette des rois, most often two sheets
of puff pastry, filled with frangipane (almond
paste). The cake contains a fève, small
china character, that whoever finds becomes
king or queen and get to wear a gold paper
crown, then chose their partner. This tradition
can last up to weeks. When the clock strikes
midnight, you can catch a good view of the
Eiffel Tower's exploding pyrotechnic display.
Just be prepared for the fireworks going
off around you too. In Paris, it is legal
to buy and sell fireworks, and youths throughout
the city like to set them off everywhere,
sometimes even in the metro stations. Along
or near Champs-Elysees, there are a good
amount of spots where you can dine or dance
for New Years in Paris.
Top places
to head in the city on New Year's Eve
include Arc de Triomphe monument at the
center of the Place de l'Étoile, Centre
Georges-Pompidou, hosting the Paris
Museum of Modern Art, The Eiffel Tower,
Flame of Liberty, The Grand Palais,
Montmartre, Notre Dame de Paris and the
Parc de la Villette, hosting the Cité
des Sciences et de l'Industrie.
There will
be no shortages of places to stay, with
Paris' hotel market catering to pretty
much any budget range. Top places to
look out for include Hotel des Trois
Colleges, Hotel Concorde La Fayette,
Castille Paris, Hôtel Au Manoir Saint
Germain des Prés, The Westin Paris –
Vendôme, Hôtel Left Bank Saint Germain
des Prés, Hôtel Ritz Paris and Royal
Monceau.
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