Twelve strikes to make it count
In Russia and Ukraine, people write a wish on a scrap of paper on New Year's Eve, burn it while the clock strikes twelve, and drink the ash in their champagne before the last strike.
Here the ritual fits on a phone: write your wish, and when midnight comes, hold the note until it burns before the twelfth strike. The bells ring at midnight in your own time zone if the page is open.
Not New Year yet? Practise the twelve strikes on any day.
How to make the wish
Ready before midnight.
Write your wish in the box; it stays on this device.
At midnight the twelve strikes start by themselves; or press Practise the chimes.
Hold the note until it burns, before the last strike.
What happens on the screen
A small ritual with a deadline.
- A countdown to midnight in your own time zone
- Twelve strikes, three seconds apart, with a bell sound
- A note that burns while you hold it
- A practice run on any day of the year
- Your wish never leaves this device
- Works with a keyboard: hold Space on the note
Made for
The last minute of the year.
New Year's Eve at home with family.
Friends abroad keeping a home tradition.
A party where everyone races the chimes together.
Kids who want their own wish ritual.
Practising the timing before the real thing.
How the timing works
The countdown reads your device's clock and time zone, so midnight is your local midnight wherever you are.
The strikes come every three seconds; the note has to be held for about two and a half seconds in total to burn, and you can let go and hold again.
Good to know
The ritual starts by itself only if this page is open at midnight.
Turn the sound on and the volume up; some phones mute sounds until you tap the page once.
This is a tradition for fun, not a promise.
Tips
- Open the page a few minutes before midnight and practise once.
- Keep the wish short; it has to fit on the note.
- Write a letter to next year too, to read when it comes.
New Year wish questions
Is my New Year wish saved or sent anywhere?
No. It stays in this browser on this device.
When do the strikes start?
At midnight on 1 January in your device's time zone, if the page is open; or any time you press Practise.
What if I do not burn the note in time?
The page says so, and you can practise again; at a party, try once more next year.
Where does this tradition come from?
Burning a written wish during the midnight chimes is a New Year custom in Russia, Ukraine and nearby countries.
Do I need an account for the midnight wish?
No sign-up and nothing to install.