Traditions and History of Celebrating the New Year

New Year Day is the first day of the calendar year. It is celebrated as a holiday in almost every country in the world. It is a time of sharing with friends, remembering the past, and hoping for good things in the future.

In the United States, thousands of people jam Times Square in New York City to welcome the New Year at midnight. The transition between New Year's Eve and New Year Day is an exciting one. In Times Square, people count down the seconds to welcome the new day as the New Year ball slowly descends and lights up the area.

Not all countries or cultures celebrate New Year on January 1st. Chinese New Year starts on a different day each year. Thousands of years ago, the Egyptians celebrated their New Year about the middle of June.  The Jewish New Year is celebrated about the time of the fall equinox, in late September.

In ancient Rome, the first day of the New Year honored Janus, the god of gates, doors, beginnings and endings - the month of January, named after Janus, was originally called 'Januarius'. Ancient Romans celebrated New Year by giving gifts to friends and family members.

In England, Druid priests celebrated their New Year on March 10. They gave branches of mistletoe to people for charms. Later, English people followed the custom of cleaning their chimneys on New Year Day. The English believed this brought good luck to the household for the coming year. 




More about New Year's celebrations and history. Click here