Shortly before New Year's Eve, people you meet will typically wish you a "Guten Rutsch," which literally translates as "have a good slide." The expression could come from the Yiddish word "rosch." Rosh Hashanah, the name of the Jewish New Year, is, however, set in the fall on a different date every year. Other linguists relate the expression to the archaic German meaning of "Rutsch" - a journey.

If a German gives you a little gift like this one New Year's Eve you're allowed to find it ugly, but you should at least know the intention is to bring you good luck for the new year. Lucky charms in Germany include such "Glückspilze" (lucky mushrooms), ladybugs, four-leaf clovers and little pigs.

Germans might believe that "Bowle" is an English word, but it's not at all - though it's probably derived from the word "bowl" - as you need a huge one to serve it. "Bowle" is a German term for punch. For many Germans, this is a must-have party drink on New Year's Eve. Typically combining fruits, alcohol and juice, there are countless recipes, including delicious alcohol-free variations.

Although you might end up at a party with a buffet of finger food, many people choose dishes that can be eaten over several hours as their last meal of the year, such as fondue, in which pieces of meat are cooked in hot oil. Also popular is raclette (pictured), where cheese is melted on a table-top grill, accompanied by meats, pickles and potatoes. The long meal shortens the wait until midnight.

For this New Year's Eve custom, people heat a little piece of lead or tin melt in a spoon held over a small flame, and then drop it quickly into cold water. The strange shapes it then takes on are supposed to reveal what the year will bring. This fortune-telling method is called "Bleigiessen" (lead pouring), but alternatives to lead as a raw material are now being used after it was banned.

In 1963, a British sketch, "Dinner for One," was broadcast for the first time on German TV - and has been aired on December 31 for many years, becoming the most frequently repeated TV program ever. It's in English, but the humor is easy to get. An aristocrat woman celebrates her 90th birthday; her butler, covering for her absent guests, gets drunk, repeating "the same procedure as every year."

Angela Merkel has held many already: The chancellor's New Year's speech to the nation has been broadcast on December 31 since 1969. The speech can sound very similar from year to year - sometimes more literally than others. In 1986, Chancellor Helmut Kohl's address from 1985 was re-aired instead of the new one, allegedly "by mistake."

After counting down the last seconds of the year, you can kiss the people you love, wish everyone the best for the upcoming year and contact your family and friends who aren't with you. "Frohes neues Jahr" is German for Happy New Year. Some people might light sparklers like this woman, but many Germans have more ambitious fireworks ready to be lit at midnight...

At the stroke of midnight, it might be difficult to sincerely wish people around you a Happy New Year, as loud fireworks start exploding everywhere. In Germany, consumer fireworks can be legally sold over the last three days of the year to be lit for the big night. Some people stock up to put on a bombastic show for the neighbors. Traditionally, loud noises were believed to drive out evil spirits.

Clinking glasses might not be as loud as fireworks; filled with champagne or "Sekt" (German sparkling wine), they can definitely help people get in good spirits. The midnight toast is an international tradition, but the Germans have a specific expression to say cheers that night: "Prosit Neujahr." The word "Prosit" comes from Latin and means "may it succeed."

With its rich fireworks and men clad in their traditional kilts parading on the streets, Scotland celebrates the winter festival "Hogmanay" on December 31. Precisely at midnight, people walk from door to door singing the ancient Celtic folk song "Auld Lang Syne." And should they ring your door bell they will bring you luck – and possibly a bottle of whisky to share.

Following age-old tradition, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark holds a New Year's speech at 6 pm, broadcast on all radio and television stations. This is followed by lavish dinner parties, where heaps of food are accompanied by copious amounts of champagne and topped off with "Kransekage" — a wreathed almond cake. Those who can still get up at midnight leap off their chair and into the new year.

In Germany, people exchange small gifts that are supposed to bring good luck for the new year, like marzipan pigs or four-leaf clovers. There's also a tradition of melting little lead figurines and casting them into water to read your coming year's fortune. And everyone partakes in watching a British comedy called "Dinner for One" — a tradition people in Britain can finally engage in this year.

In Austria, the famous traditional Danube Waltz dominates New Year's festivities, whereby people literally waltz into the new year. This is usually preceded by the consumption of so-called "sweet fish," a biscuit to bring good luck for the new year. However, it's of crucial importance to start off eating the fin — or else your good fortune might swim away from you.

In Switzerland, people celebrate New Year's Eve with parades, drums and as much noise as possible, believed to drive out evil spirits and demons. But there are fewer fireworks than elsewhere. The Swiss, trying to adapt to the cold weather, prefer to have a huge bonfire. Dinner usually consists of the traditional cheese fondue – a tradition which has begun to spill over to neighboring countries.

At midnight in Spain, people swallow a grape at each stroke of the clock. You must take great care neither to choke on them nor to eat too many or too few — or else the New Year might not turn out as you wished. In towns and villages across the country, people congregate on central squares jubilating with the grapes in their mouths. By around 5 am, they eat churros, a traditional fried pastry.

The French go for fine foods, sumptuous champagne and good wine. A particular delicacy for the occasion is foie gras. There aren't many fireworks in France on New Year's Eve, as pyrotechnics are rather reserved for the French national holiday on July 14. Parisians also love to take a midnight stroll around their superbly illuminated buildings, such as the Eiffel Tower.

In Italy, gentlemen are keen to gift their ladies with red lingerie for the New Year. There is a rich dinner in the evening with the traditional dish being knuckle of pork with lentils. As in other parts of Europe, pigs are believed to bring you luck. Another way of inviting good luck for the new year is the practice of throwing old cloths out of the window at the stroke of midnight.

In the Czech Republic, people celebrate the new year with sparkling wine while eating small sandwiches called "chlebicky." Hoping to predict what the future may hold they also halve apples and examine the pits. It's considered a bad sign if the pits form a cross but if they form a star it means your road ahead will be clear. Later at midnight, fireworks illuminate the capital Prague.

In an attempt to drive out evil spirits, Bulgarians celebrate with a lot of noise, with men dressed up as monsters dancing around in the bell-clad costumes. Their dance is supposed to bring a rich harvest in the new year. People also go around patting each other on the back, which is believed to guarantee good health in the new year.

For many Greeks, New Year's Eve only means one thing: gambling. The winner of the night is expected to become rich in the new year while the loser will be lucky in love. Bakers also hide a coin in the traditional New Year's loaf; the person who gets the piece with the coin is believed to become a millionaire.

"Father Noel" brings gifts to children in Turkey while adults turn on all the taps in the household to make sure that good luck flows into the new year. As in other countries, ladies wear red lingerie while sweets are passed around to make sure that the coming year will be peaceful and, well, sweet.