Neujahr

Neujahr falls on 1 January and is a public holiday across the German-speaking world. The day begins quietly after Silvester: streets fill late, many people sleep in, and the first messages and phone calls are simple wishes such as Frohes neues Jahr or, in Austria, Prosit Neujahr. Families often tidy up after the previous night’s celebration, open windows to clear the smell of fireworks, and call relatives they did not see at midnight. In Austria, a fixed point of the morning is the Vienna New Year’s Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic from the Musikverein, broadcast on television and radio and watched at home, in hotels, and in some cafés.

After the concert, many households have a slow family lunch rather than another party. Depending on the region, New Year’s Day dishes can include pork, sauerkraut, lentils, or carp, foods commonly linked with luck or prosperity for the year ahead. In Austria, many viewers expect the concert to close with The Blue Danube and the Radetzky March, a familiar ritual of the morning broadcast. The rest of 1 January is notably quiet: shops are closed because of the public holiday, visits are usually low-key, and people go for a walk, meet close family, or simply rest and recover from Silvester.

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