New Year's Eve
What is New Year's Eve...
New Year's Eve is on the night of December 31, the last day of the year. There are many mixed feelings related to this day — it gives us the opportunity to reflect on the past year with all its highs and lows, but many of us also get ready to party our way into the New Year. Here's to a New Year, and new beginnings!
When Is New Year's Eve...
...and How Did It Start
New Year's Eve on December 31 marks the final day of what is called a Gregorian calendar year. Prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar as the standard, most of the ancient world ran on many different and diverse calendar systems to track the passage of time.
The Gregorian calendar we use today was introduced by the Vatican in Rome under Pope Gregory XIII in October 1582. he Gregorian calendar is based on the solar year and replaced an ancient Roman calendar that was based on the lunar cycle of the earth's moon. The Gregorian calendar is a modified version of the Julian calendar that was introduced by Roman Emperor Julius Caesar during his reign around 44 B.C.
Who Celebrates New Year's Eve...
People around the Globe celebrate the New Year's Eve, although celebrations may differ from place to place and even the date may differ from the broadly-adopted, for instance the Tamil Hindus and Sinhalese of Sri Lanka celebrate New Year's on April 13 with different rituals and customs.
Things To Remember...
Many traditions around the world are believed to bring luck in the New Year, such as toasting a glass of Champagne at midnight or eating 365 black-eyed peas for good luck on the first day of the New Year.
History Of The Holiday...
Traditions on this day of the year are as diverse as cultures all over the globe.
Let us just mention the famous The Times Square Ball which is a time ball located in New York City's Times Square. Located on the roof of One Times Square, the ball is a prominent part of a New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square commonly referred to as the “ball drop”, where the ball descends down a specially designed flagpole just before midnight, and resting at midnight to signal the start of the new year.
In recent years, the ball drop has been preceded by live entertainment, including performances by musicians. First held on December 31, 1907, to welcome 1908, the ball drop has been held annually since, except in 1942 and 1943 in observance of wartime blackouts.
