Bid goodbye to 2020 and welcome 2021 with these New Year countdown events
Celebrate the end of a challenging year with these social distancing compliant events
Time flies. And because of Covid-19, this year feels like it flew by even faster. In less than two weeks, we will be bidding goodbye to 2020 and welcoming the new year.
While we don’t have the opportunity to travel for an overseas New Year Eve experience, there are still plenty of interesting offline and online events that promise a wholesome (and social distancing compliant) time on New Year’s Eve.
For those who are looking to end with a loud bang (but still keeping safe), here are 10 countdown ideas for you to consider:
- Marina Bay Countdown 2021
- Fireworks in the heartlands
- Big Hit Entertainment New Year’s Eve virtual event
- New Year’s Eve @ Times Square
- Countdown To 2021 with Tomorrowland
- Adios 2020 by Super Loco
- Disco Loco by Super Loco
- 3-course New Year Eve dinner at Marriott Cafe
- Cable car sky dining
- New Year’s Eve @ Faber Peak
The grand finale to the holiday season, New Year's Eve, comes with watching the ball drop live and mixing up New Year's drinks, but of course there's also plenty of emotional reflection on the past year and the year ahead (we've got New Year's quotes for that!). While things may look very different this year, the traditional New Year's Eve song "Auld Lang Syne" will likely still find its way to your ears sometime during the holiday season as the world rings in 2021.
Chances are, you've been part of a festive, heartfelt "Auld Lang Syne" singalong when someone breaks out New Year's songs, but do you know the real meaning behind the song? Here, a quick refresher on the traditional tune you'll hear on December 31:
What does "Auld Lang Syne" mean? Originally written in a language called Scots, which is an ancient twist on English barely recognizable to modern-day English speakers, the phrase literally translates to "old long since," but has adopted a more fluid definition along the lines of "for old time's sake" or "the olden days."
Where does "Auld Lang Syne" come from? The phrase technically dates from the 16th century (think 1580s—truly vintage), but was solely an oral tradition for the first few hundred years. It was not formally written down until around 1788, when the poet Robert Burns incorporated the phrase into one of his works. (Burns is the most commonly credited poet, though other names have appeared in various histories of the phrase.) He was so enamored with the phrase and its esteemed place in Scottish traditions that he submitted his poem to the Scots Musical Museum to preserve it forever.
