New Year's Eve (Silvester)
31 December 2026 — Happy New Year! The chimney sweep brings good luck!
Silvester is the German name for New Year's Eve, also used in several other Central European countries. It is named after Pope Sylvester I, whose feast day in the Church calendar falls on 31 December. On the night before 1 January, Germans gather with family and friends, raise a toast at midnight and set off fireworks, which, according to old belief, drive away evil spirits. Symbols of luck include the chimney sweep, the pink pig (Glücksschwein), the four-leaf clover and the horseshoe. Small gifts shaped like pigs or chimney sweeps are often exchanged. Another tradition is lead pouring (Bleigießen), where the shape of the hardened metal is read as a forecast for the coming year; since 2018 lead kits have been banned in the EU, so wax or tin is used instead. New Year's pastries are also customary. The date follows the Gregorian calendar and marks the last day of the year. There is no special sky event, but the night is long, as it falls just days after the winter solstice.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver figure of a chimney sweep in a top hat, drawn from bright dots and fine lines like a constellation, riding a rising firework rocket across the night sky and trailing sparkling stars
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