Advertisement:
Ohmygossip.com / Ohmygossip Couture / Celebrity Birthdays / Celebrity Deaths / Celebrity Baby News / Celebrity vacations / Reality TV news / Millionaires / Celebirty Travel News
NordenBladet.com / Society & Business / Travel & Culture / Home & Kids / Health & Spirituality / Helena-Reet Ennet´s blog / Daily news from Scandinavia / Royals / Climate crises
OHMYGOSSIP

New Years Eve traditions and history

New Year’s Eve is a holiday rich in history & tradition. Learn about New Year’s Eve traditions and New Year’s Eve history that you can incorporate into this year’s celebrations with friends and family.

History of New Year’s
2000 years ago and then some, it is believed that Ancient Babylonians began their New Year with the first New Moon after the Spring Equinox. A logical time to celebrate, spring brings with it new growth and has always been symbolic of hope and the promise of things to come. The Babylonians feasted for eleven days, each day with its own festive theme. Fast forward to Julius Caesar who, during a visit to Egypt around 150 BC, found the calendar of his dreams. The Romans tried to follow the same cycle as set by the Egyptians with the New Year beginning in spring. But scholars and emperors continued to finagle with the calendar until it fell out of synchronization with the sun. The Roman senate, in an attempt to get everything back on track, named January 1 as the first day of the year, and eventually it was entitled the Julian Calendar. Still the calendar was constantly being revised and manipulated by various people, until 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII established the Gregorian Calendar. This calendar set the dates in stone and offered a clear distinction of the four seasons. The Gregorian Calendar is what most of the Western world uses.

Brazilian New Year’s Eve Rituals
While Brazil plays host to fabulous New Year’s Eve parties (the famous beach of Copacabana is overcrowded with visitors), there are other traditions that Brazilians perform to welcome another year. After celebrating at midnight with concerts, fireworks and dinner, Brazilians head to the beaches where they jump over seven waves and throw flowers into the ocean. Some people also light candles in the sand. These are all ancient rituals through to bring good luck and fortune throughout the New Year.

Greek New Year’s Eve Traditions
In Greece, gifts are usually exchanged on New Year’s Eve rather than Christmas. This means New Year’s Eve in Greece often finds shopping plazas crowded with last-minute shoppers before everyone gathers in individual houses to ring in the New Year by cutting the vasilopita or new year cake. People in Greece often invite one special friend or family member whom they believe to be lucky to enter their homes first in the New Year. This is though to prevent bad omens from coming in.

New Year’s Eve in Japan
The Japanese actually celebrate New Year’s Eve all day. Starting in the morning, people begin cleaning house, a process known as Ousouji. Intended to get rid of the “dust” from the past, it prepares the home for a prosperous new year. Later on, the Japanese people watch a television program, Red and White Song Battle, which is similar in popularity to Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve in America. The final act of celebrating in Japan is listening to the watch-night bell ring 108 times, which is considered to knock out bad luck, unhappiness and selfishness

Times Square and the Big Ball

Since 1904, Times Square in New York City has been a hot spot for New Year’s Eve celebrations. Originally, the owners of the square held rooftop parties, and now the streets are flooded with people nose-to-nose in the freezing cold just to watch the big ball drop. The first time the ball took the plunge was on New Year’s Eve 1907! Back then, the Times Square Ball was made of iron and wood and decorated with 100 25-watt light bulbs. Today, half a million people gaze at the sphere made of Waterford crystal and lit by 600 bulbs as it drops from the top of a skyscraper at midnight. For years, adored TV veteran, Dick Clark, hosted the event, broadcasting live from Times Square. Currently, a group of hosts join him in the celebration.

New Year’s Eve Trivia
As you wait for the clock to strike midnight, create your own version of trivial pursuit with questions about the history and celebration of New Year’s Eve.

Q: The New Year has not always been celebrated on January 1. When did th e original celebration take place?

A: Starting around the year 2000 B.C., the Babylonians observed the beginning of spring as the start of a new year.

Q: Who established January 1 as the start of a New Year?
A: Julius Caesar, who did so when he created the Juliun calendar

Q: What does the traditional New Year’s song, Auld Lang Syne, mean?

A: Auld Lang Syne, written by Robert Burns in the 1700s, is Scottish for “old long ago.”

Q: Who established the tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions?

A: The Babylonians, whose most common resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.

Q: What is the most popular New Year’s resolution in the United States today?

A: To lose weight

Q: Which city hosts the first major New Year’s Eve celebration each year?

A: Sydney, Australia

Q: What year did the first New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square?

A: 1907

Q: Since its inaugural descent in 1907, the New Year’s Eve Ball has dropped every year except two. Which two years did the ball not drop?

A: 1942 and 1943, due to wartime restrictions in New York City

Q. How many New Year’s Eve balls have dropped in Times Square?

A. 8 – 1907; 1920; 1955; 1980; 1988; 1995; 2000; 2008

Source: Celebrations.com





Advertisement:





High quality & nature friendly luxury cosmetics from Scandinavia - ElishevaShoshana.com

Copyright © NordenBladet 2008-2023 All Rights Reserved.
Scandinavian / Nordic news and info in English.
Nordic News Service & Link Directory