Thursday, December 30, 2010

Brandenburg Gate Webcam Live Feed at Berlin New Year's Eve Fireworks Display

The liveliest New Year's Eve celebrations in Germany take place in the centre of Berlin at the famous and iconic Brandenburg Gate.

This live feed is in the centre of Berlin for the fireworks and festivities:

Brandenburg Gate Fireworks Live

Germans call New Year's Eve Silvester because 31 December is the feast day of St. Sylvester. Since 1972, each New Year's Eve, several German television stations broadcast a short comedy play in English (recorded by West German television in 1963) entitled Dinner for One.

A line from the comedy sketch, "the same procedure as every year", has become a catch phrase in Germany. Every year Berlin hosts one of the largest New Year's Eve celebrations in all of Europe which is attended by over a million people. The focal point is the Brandenburg Gate and the fireworks at midnight are centered on that location. Germans have a reputation for spending large amounts of money on firecrackers and fireworks, and so fireworks are to be seen all over the country on this night. When the clock strikes midnight on Silvester, Germans toast the New Year with a glass of Sekt (German sparkling wine) or champagne. 'Bleigießen' is another German New Year's Eve custom, which involves telling fortunes by the shapes made by molten lead dropped into cold water.

New Year's Eve or Old Year's Night is observed on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year, the day before New Year's Day. New Year's Eve is a separate observance from the observance of New Year's Day.