At five minutes to midnight on December the 31st, the President of the Central Committee makes a short televised speech to the nation on the VBC1 TV channel and Radio Vallermoore, whilst standing on a chair. At midnight he and Vallermoorians all over the country jump into the new year and hug and kiss and link arms and sing Auld Lang Syne, and fireworks are set off both at public displays and in back gardens and other such places. The parties often go on until 5:00AM and New Year's Day is a holiday-first as most Vallermoorians are tired and second, as many of them are drunk. As drunk driving that causes death or serious and permanent injuries can be a death penalty offence, it is considered unfair to make Vallermoorians risk death by hanging just to get to work.
On New Year's Eve, there is a certain tolerance of public drunkenness as long as it does not lead to fights or worse and no drunkards drive.