New Year's Day

New Year's Day is the first day of the year, in the Gregorian calendar. In modern times, it is January 1. In most countries, it is a holiday. It is still celebrated as a religious holy day on January 14 by those who still follow the Julian calendar such as followers of some of the Eastern Orthodox churches known as Old Calendarists.

New Year in Times Square
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January 1 marks the end of a period of remembrance of the passing year, especially in radio, television and the newspapers, which usually starts right after Christmas Day. Political parties, governments, sports teams, and other things such as new music and other artworks are rated by journalists, notable events are reevaluated in summaries in news sources, comedians get to reuse comedic material about news events again.

Cultural images include an old Father Time with a sash proclaiming the Old Year leaving as an infant with a sash proclaiming the New Year enters.

This day is traditionally a religious feast, but since the 1900s, has become an occasion to celebrate on the night between December 31 and January 1, called New Year's Eve. There are often fireworks at midnight. Depending on the country, individuals may be allowed to burn fireworks, even if it is forbidden the rest of the year.

It is also an occasion to make New Year resolutions: the most popular ones in the western world include to stop tobacco smoking or drinking, or to lose weight or get physically fit. Other examples include giving to the poor more often, being more assertive, or being more economically or environmentally safe (spending less, saving more/ wasting less, recycling more).

Specific, high-profile or common celebrations

The most common modern New Year celebrations are:

In Scotland, there are many special customs associated with the New Year. For more information, see Hogmanay, the Scots' name for the New Year celebration.
On New Year's Eve, famous celebrations takes place in Times Square, New York, and Trafalgar Square, London
In New York City, the world famous 1,070-pound, 6-foot-diameter Waterford crystal ball located high above Times Square is lowered starting at 11:59 PM and reaches the bottom of its tower at the stroke of midnight on January 1. It is sometimes referred to as "the big apple" like the city itself. The custom derives from the time signal that used to be given at noon in harbors.
In The Netherlands and some other European countries, the New Year is greeted with massive private fireworks. The custom may have been imported by Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century. However, fireworks have long been part of the European celebration of major events, so this may not be so. This day is also the occasion to make bonfires of discarded Christmas trees in some countries.
In Pasadena, California, the Tournament of Roses is held on New Year's Day with nearly a million revellers viewing the parade from the streets, with millions more around the world watching on television, followed by the Rose Bowl.
Vienna New Year's Day Concert, in Austria (televised internationally)

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia and from ShiningRise.com

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