History, Traditions Bring In The New Year
By Diana Sanders

The celebration of the New Year in New York City has been a tradition for generations. Elaborate gatherings and extravagant parties just as Christmas Week comes to a close are looked forward to by many people. New Year’s Eve, especially, is celebrated in almost every nation around the world, each with its own set of traditions.

The New Year was not universally accepted as January 1 until the gradual adoption of the Gregorian calendar. The ancient Babylonians are known as the first society to celebrate the New Year, which began after the Vernal Equinox. Observed first in about 2000 B.C, this celebration in March was continued by the early Romans. The Roman calendar, which credited March 1 as the first day of the New Year only contained 10 months, excluding January and February. It was not until 153 B.C.E. that January 1 came into existence, and not until 46 B.C.E. that Julius Caesar officially established the date as the New Year. However, observations and celebrations of the New Year ceased during the Middle Ages, but were restored with the creation of the Gregorian calendar in 1582. The Gregorian calendar is the accepted calendar today among most of the countries across the world.

Centuries and calendars later, the celebration of the New Year has greatly evolved. The one-minute-long descent of the Waterford crystal ball in Times Square starting at 11:59 p.m. on New Year’s Eve is perhaps the biggest tourist attraction in New York City and the most watched television program of the year. Millions of people watch as the 1,070-pound ball is lowered, arriving exactly at the stroke of midnight. Started in 1907, the New York City ball drop has become known throughout the world.

No New Year’s Eve celebration would be complete without the participants singing “Auld Lang Syne.” Written by Robert Burns in 1788 and popularized by Guy Lombardo in 1929, “Auld Lang Syne” has now become the theme song of the New Year. While this traditional Scot tune is one of the world’s best known, many people still do not know the lyrics.

Across the country, another American tradition is the Rose Bowl, which takes place in Pasadena, California on New Year’s Day. The Tournament of Roses Parade has been a California tradition since 1886, when thousands of people gathered in decorated carriages celebrating the “ripening of the oranges in California.” The now famous football game was first linked to the celebrations in 1902 for one year, but was then was replaced by chariot races. In 1916, however, this athletic competition returned, and has been an annual tradition ever since.

New Year’s traditions transcend national borders. Throughout the world, this celebration is widely observed with all kinds of festivities and traditions. Gunpowder and fireworks were invented by ancient Chinese civilizations; today some 1 million people join in watching the fireworks spectacular at the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia. Fireworks are set off at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland to celebrate the New Year as well.

Specific traditions that involve foods are followed by many cultures across the world. Greeks, for example, serve a traditional cake known as Vassilopitta, which is baked with either a silver or gold coin inside. The tradition states that the person who finds the coin in their particular piece of cake will be lucky in the upcoming year. In Spain, people eat 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve, one for each coming month, for luck. Many other cultures believe that foods in circular shapes represent the cycle of the year, among them the Dutch, who eat donuts on New Year’s Day for good luck. Many restaurants and catering halls also have their own celebrations and parties.

The tradition of New Year’s resolutions was first undertaken by the Babylonians, and people have been making New Year’s resolutions ever since. Babylonian resolutions included returning of borrowed farm equipment, centuries later, resolutions can include quitting smoking and losing weight.

This year, one New York City tradition that will continue, along with the ball drop, is the 34th annual “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC-TV. This television event has been the most watched of all New Year’s Eve television programs and has helped New Yorkers see the New Year in for 34 years.