Bet You Didn't Know: New Year's Eve
Did you know that New Year's has not always been celebrated on January 1? Get the full story.
Civilizations around the world have been celebrating the
start of each new year for at least four millennia. Today, most New
Year’s festivities begin on December 31 (New Year’s Eve), the last day
of the Gregorian calendar, and continue into the early hours of January 1
(New Year’s Day). Common traditions include attending parties, eating
special New Year’s foods, making resolutions for the new year and
watching fireworks displays.
New Year’s Traditions
In many countries, New Year’s celebrations begin on the evening of
December 31—New Year’s Eve—and continue into the early hours of January
1. Revelers often enjoy meals and snacks thought to bestow good luck for
the coming year. In Spain and several other Spanish-speaking countries,
people bolt down a dozen grapes-symbolizing their hopes for the months
ahead-right before midnight. In many parts of the world, traditional New
Year’s dishes feature legumes, which are thought to resemble coins and
herald future financial success; examples include lentils in Italy and
black-eyed peas in the southern United States. Because pigs represent
progress and prosperity in some cultures, pork appears on the New Year’s
Eve table in Cuba, Austria, Hungary, Portugal and other countries.
Ring-shaped cakes and pastries, a sign that the year has come full
circle, round out the feast in the Netherlands, Mexico,
Greece and elsewhere. In Sweden and Norway, meanwhile, rice pudding
with an almond hidden inside is served on New Year’s Eve; it is said
that whoever finds the nut can expect 12 months of good fortune.
Other customs that are common worldwide include watching fireworks and singing songs to welcome the new year, including the ever-popular “Auld Lang Syne” in many English-speaking countries. The practice of making resolutions for the new year is thought to have first caught on among the ancient Babylonians, who made promises in order to earn the favor of the gods and start the year off on the right foot. (They would reportedly vow to pay off debts and return borrowed farm equipment.)
In the United States, the most iconic New Year’s tradition is the dropping of a giant ball in New York City’s Times Square at the stroke of midnight. Millions of people around the world watch the event, which has taken place almost every year since 1907. Over time, the ball itself has ballooned from a 700-pound iron-and-wood orb to a brightly patterned sphere 12 feet in diameter and weighing in at nearly 12,000 pounds. Various towns and cities across America have developed their own versions of the Times Square ritual, organizing public drops of items ranging from pickles (Dillsburg, Pennsylvania) to possums (Tallapoosa, Georgia) at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Other customs that are common worldwide include watching fireworks and singing songs to welcome the new year, including the ever-popular “Auld Lang Syne” in many English-speaking countries. The practice of making resolutions for the new year is thought to have first caught on among the ancient Babylonians, who made promises in order to earn the favor of the gods and start the year off on the right foot. (They would reportedly vow to pay off debts and return borrowed farm equipment.)
In the United States, the most iconic New Year’s tradition is the dropping of a giant ball in New York City’s Times Square at the stroke of midnight. Millions of people around the world watch the event, which has taken place almost every year since 1907. Over time, the ball itself has ballooned from a 700-pound iron-and-wood orb to a brightly patterned sphere 12 feet in diameter and weighing in at nearly 12,000 pounds. Various towns and cities across America have developed their own versions of the Times Square ritual, organizing public drops of items ranging from pickles (Dillsburg, Pennsylvania) to possums (Tallapoosa, Georgia) at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
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