It's Silvester (Sylvester). Actually that's the name day (saint's day) today but it has prevailed as a description for the last day of the year. A long time ago, nearly all the dates were given not as a day and month but as a name day. We are running some errands.
Tonight everybody will do their own small fireworks. Fireworks may only be sold to non-prefessionals in these few days before Silvester because it's the only time of the year that people may do their own fireworks display without needing a special permission. There are also some big organized fireworks of course, but most people do their own tonight. The tradition goes back a long way and is suppposed to chase away evil spirits. Unfortunately it's not a very good photo opportunity, so we can't show any pictures.
People also give each other little talismans like horseshoes to protect home and hearth, chimney sweeps, who used to be the first ones out and about on New Years Day, clover leaves and little pigs made of marzipan or other sweets or simply of plastic.
