THE HISTORY
AND TRADITIONS
OF
NEW YEAR’S DAY
G'day folks,
New Year is the time or day at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one.
Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner and the 1st day of January is often marked as a national holiday.
Happy New Year’s Day
New
Year’s Day is a national holiday celebrated on January 1st, the first day of
the New Year, following both the Gregorian and the Julian calendar. This New
Years’ holiday is often marked by fireworks, parades, and reflection upon the
last year while looking ahead to the future’s possibilities. Many people
celebrate New Year’s in the company of loved ones, involving traditions meant
to bring luck and success in the upcoming year. Many Cultures celebrate this happy
day in their own unique way. Typically the customs and traditions of happy New
Years Day involve celebrating with champagne and a variety of different foods.
New Years marks a date of newly found happiness and a clean slate. For many
celebrating New Years, it is their opportunity to learn from the prior year and
make positive changes in their life.
New Year’s Day Holiday History
New
Year’s is one of the oldest holidays still celebrated, but the exact date and
nature of the festivities has changed over time. It originated thousands of
years ago in ancient Babylon, celebrated as an eleven day festival on the first
day of spring. During this time, many cultures used the sun and moon cycle to
decide the “first” day of the year. It wasn’t until Julius Caesar implemented
the Julian calendar that January 1st became the common day for the celebration.
The content of the festivities has varied as well. While early celebrations
were more paganistic in nature, celebrating Earth’s cycles, Christian tradition
celebrates the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ on New Year’s Day. Roman
Catholics also often celebrate Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, a feast
honoring Mary.
However, in the twentieth century, the holiday grew into its own
celebration and mostly separated from the common association with religion. It
has become a holiday associated with nationality, relationships, and
introspection rather than a religious celebration, although many people do
still follow older traditions.
The French typically celebrate New Year’s with a feast and a champagne toast, marking the first moments of New Year’s Day with kisses under the mistletoe, which most other cultures associate with Christmas celebrations. The French also consider the day’s weather as a forecast for the upcoming year’s harvest, taking into account aspects like wind direction to predict the fruitfulness of crops and fishing.
New Years Phillipines
In the Philippines, celebrations are very loud, believing that the noise will scare away evil beings. There is often a midnight feast featuring twelve different round fruits to symbolize good luck for the twelve months of the year. Other traditional foods include sticky rice and noodles, but not chicken or fish because these animals are food foragers, which can be seen as bad luck for the next year’s food supply.
The Soviet Union’s New Year’s Day celebrations have been greatly affected by the Union’s history. As religion was suppressed and Christmas celebrations were banned, New Year’s, or Novi God celebrations often include Christmas traditions such as decorated trees, which were reconsidered as New Year Fir Trees. As the suppression left, these traditions stayed part of the New Year’s Day celebration. The holiday is also celebrated with feasts, champagne, and wishes.
Spaniards celebrate New Year’s Day with the custom of eating twelve grapes, each eaten at a clock-stroke at midnight.
Cold-water plunges
In colder countries close to water, such as Canada, parts of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, it is customary to organize cold-water plunges. These plunges and races, sometimes called a Polar Bear Plunge, often raise money for charity or awareness for a cause.
For thousands of years, New Year’s has been a festival of rebirth and reflection, allowing people all over the world to celebrate another great year.
The song, “Auld Lang Syne,” is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year. At least partially written by Robert Burns in the 1700’s, it was first published in 1796 after Burns’ death. Early variations of the song were sung prior to 1700 and inspired Burns to produce the modern rendition. An old Scottish tune, “Auld Lang Syne” literally means “old long ago,” or simply, “the good old days.”
Clancy's comment: I wish you all a fabulous year. Stay well and safe.
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