New Year's Eve in Africa

New Year's Eve is just around the corner. Bars and nightclubs throughout Africa will be getting ready for the annual onslaught of merry folk. Even if you're visiting countries that don't follow the Gregorian calendar, you'll still find a party or two to enjoy. That's because every country in Africa has a public holiday on January 1st, reason enough to celebrate. The little Ethiopian girl pictured here celebrated her New Year on September 11th (it's now 2002 in Ethiopia).

The wildest New Year parties are undoubtedly held in South Africa with its abundant sunshine, beaches, bonfires and nightclubs -- you can't go wrong. Jo'burg residents had this strange custom of throwing their old fridges out of apartment windows, but luckily that has stopped. It didn't seem to make a lot of sense; you have to work quite hard to afford a fridge in South Africa.

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_{Image of Ethiopian girl celebrating New Year, 2002 -- © Getty Images/Tim Boyle}