New Years Eve Events

It goes without saying that New Year is one of the biggest celebrations worldwide and has held this distinction since ancient times. Until the world started getting smaller and we all began rooting for 31st December, different cultures in different parts of the world had their own ideas about time division, based on their own separate calendars - solar, lunar, or a combination of both - and so celebrated the New Year at different times. But many of the beliefs regarding the New Year were amazing similar. A majority of cultures, for example, believed - and still do believe - that what you do either on New Year's Eve or on the First Day of the New Year sets the tone for the way things will turn out for the rest of the year. This was one reason why people got together with their loved ones and tried to all have good times - surely they have the same sort of enjoyment then all year round. Other common beliefs included believing that the first visitor on New Year's morning would bring either good luck or bad luck to the household (convenient, I think, either way things go, you've someone to blame), and that eating special foods, especially those shaped like a ring to symbolize coming a full circle, would bring good luck (Foods like doughnuts, and also legumes, cabbage, ham, rice, etc.). Music, dances, and fire-crackers during the celebrations are other things common to all cultures.

New Year Celebrations the world over took place in the following ways :

Babylon, as Iraq was known in ancient times, has perhaps the earliest known custom of celebrating the New Year - 4000 years ago. The New Year came to Babylon in March - more logical than January, since Spring is the time for renewal in Nature and a time for planting for the farmers; the Babylonians, by the way, were also the first people to start making New Year's Resolutions and, no, losing weight wasn't their biggest concern, returning borrowed farm equipment was. For the duration of the Spring Festival, the King stepped down from his throne and left his subjects to their own devises for eleven days. As expected, as with children left alone after a strict supervision, the Festival soon became one big exploding mayhem of unfettered joy. Then, as all authority eventually does, the King returned - he had finished contemplating on his life in the brief hiatus and he hoped his citizens had managed a modicum of it too - great, people, now get your noses back to the grind-stones - we don't do any more contemplation until next year!

New Year came to the Egyptians in September. This coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile, a phenomenon that fertilized the Land of Egypt and was responsible for its wealth and prosperity. So it made sense to commemorate this important event as the start of all future prospects. The Egyptians turned it into a great festive occasion, in which they prayed to their God Amon and cheered a barge floating along the flooded river, carrying statues of him, his wife and son. There was a lot of singing, dancing, and feasting, and the party went on for a month. Then, after the Nile waters had subsided, the Gods were returned to their temple.

The Greeks were the first to symbolize the birth of the New Year with a baby. Their New Year celebrations were in honor of Dionysius, the God of Wine, and the baby was him reborn.

The Romans were confused March Hares, with a calendar the sun wouldn't keep up with, until Julius Caesar, in 46 B.C., decided to venture into calendar-making territory. For better or worse and with some modifications, we're still using what he came up with - the Julian Calendar. Like us, they too had a party on New Year's Eve, but, unlike us, they went around greeting each other, "Happy Calends!"

The Celts called their New Year 'Samhain', which means 'Summer's End', and celebrated it in October-end.

The Jewish people celebrate 'Rosh Hashanah'. It is celebrated with a visit to the Synagogue, the playing of the Shofar, getting new things for the family, especially the children, and preparing good food.

The Christians, initially, did not believe in celebrating the New Year. The idea of doing as the heathens did was too unpalatable. Over time, however, Christ was put into the New Year and he's stayed put even though some people seem to claim otherwise.

New Year comes several days prior to January for the Muslims, since their calendar is lunar- based - usually in late March.

Hindus in India celebrate the New Year in various ways. There are different customs in different parts of the country, but New Year is usually in late March or early April. It is called Chaitra Padwa.

The Vietnamese New Year is known as Tet Nguyen Dan or Tet for short, and usually occurs between January 21 and February 19. According to Vietnamese religious beliefs, people buy live carps and set them free in the river.

In Japan, New Year is celebrated on January 1 with visits to shrines and temples.

Chinese all over the world celebrate their New Year, which is known as Yuan Tan, some time between January 17 and February 19, at the time of the new moon, and carry out lantern light street processions.

Many Swiss and Austrians dress up as Saint Sylvester on New Year's Day and call themselves Sylvesterklauses. He was a Pope who supposedly caught a monster that had threatened the world and apparently still is holding it captive - and apparently we should all be grateful.

The Greeks follow the dress fashion of Saint Basil. He didn't capture any monster though - he was famous for his kindness.

The Scottish people call their New Year 'Hogmanay' and in some villages burning tar barrels are rolled in streets to signify the departure of the old year. We also got the famous 'Auld Lang Syne' from the Scots. Very few people actually know all the correct lyrics, but I guess that adds to joy of everyone making up their own.. It is one of the most celebrated songs for New Year's Eve.

In Canada and Russia, people traditionally take a dip into icy cold water. Supposed to give you vigor for the coming year. I guess it would too.