Interesting New Year Facts:
1. New Year celebrations are not new. The concept actually dates back to 2000 BC. The Mesopotamians used to
celebrate New Year!
2. 1st January as New Year was never a standard practice. Romans for instance celebrated March 1 as New Year.
Some other cultures went for winter solstice or summer equinox.
3. The Roman Catholic Church was the one to adopt 1st January as New Year. Well, 1st January as New Year
was marked by Georgian Calendar.
4. 1st January was accepted as New Year in 46 BC by Julius Caesar. England and the American colonies of
England adopted the date long time later in 1752.
5. The month of January derives its name from a two-faced God named Janus. Janus’ one face looked forward
while the other looked backward.
6. New Year is usually considered to be the best time for making resolutions. Resolutions usually mean people
want to give up some bad habits and pick up some good habits but resolutions may not necessarily be about
habits.
7. New Year gifts also date back to ancient times when the Persians used to gift eggs symbolizing productivity.
8. Whatever New Year traditions we speak of are actually meant for bringing good luck. For instance, eating black-
eyed peas on the day of New Year is believed to bring good luck in several parts of the United States.
9. Speaking of traditions, we cannot miss out on the Estonian practice of eating 7, 9 or 12 meals on the eve of
New Year. They believe that eating that many meals will give them the strength of that many people in the year
that follows.
10. Finnish people have a weird tradition which goes by the name molybdomancy. This is all about telling fortunes.
A small amount of led is melted in a small pan using a small stove. The melted metal is then thrown into a bowl
full of cold water. The liquid metal solidifies and the resulting shape of the solid metal is then analyzed in
candle light to tell the fortune of a person in the coming year.
11. People of Denmark practice throwing dishes at the doorsteps of other people. This is believed to bring many
new friends to the person on whose doorsteps the dishes are thrown.
12. Denmark also has a custom of making an evening meal ending with Kransekage. This is actually the name of a
dessert which is actually a cone-shaped cake with a steep slope. The cake is then decorated with flags and
firecrackers.
13. Spanish tradition is to eat 12 grapes at midnight of 31st December. While eating these grapes, Spaniards will
make wishes. This tradition is believed to bring good luck for those who practice it. This grape eating tradition
started back in 1895.
14. Then we have Japan where the bells in Buddhist Temples are rung 108 times. They do this to welcome the
God of New Year known as Toshigami.
15. Talk of Greek traditions and you will find kremmida or onions hanging on their doors. They hang the onions on
their doors on New Year’s Eve wishing their children’s goodwill.
16. Greeks also have the tradition of breaking pomegranates right at their doorsteps. This tradition is believed to
bring good luck and prosperity.
17. New Year’s Eve has a special name in Belgium. It is known as Sint Sylvester Vooranvond. People in this
country toast with customary champagne and children write letters to godparents or parents on the day of New
Year.
18. New Year is celebrated by several special foods in different countries. For example, in Southern US, Ireland,
Germany and Italy leafy greens and legumes are associated with financial fortune.
19. Japanese eat long noodles on New Year. Long noodles signify long life.
20. In Portugal, Hungary, Austria and Cuba, pork is a standard New Year food and it signifies prosperity and
progress
21. Greece, Mexico and Netherlands go for ring-shaped pastries and cakes which signify that the year has come
to a full circle.
22. For ancient Greeks, flooding of Nile every year marked the beginning of New Year.
23. By popping open a bubbly bottle is how many people celebrate the New Year. In America alone, during the
holiday season, 360 million glasses of sparkling wine are consumed every year.
24. The most common New Year resolutions include ‘quit smoking’, ‘lose weight’, ‘stay healthy and fit’, ‘save more
money’ and ‘get (more) organized’.
25. Most English speakers traditionally sing the song ‘Auld Lang Syne’. It is actually a very old song from Scotland
and was first published in 1796 poet Robert Burns in the book titled Scots Musical Museum. The literal
translation of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ is ‘old long since’ and actually means ‘times gone by’.
26. The Dutch people launch fireworks and burn Christmas tree bonfires on street during the New Year Eve. The
reason they do this is that burning Christmas tree bonfires signify purging of the old and launching fireworks
refer to welcoming the new.
27. As far as United States is concerned, the most popular tradition is that of dropping the New Year Ball in New
York City’s Times Square exactly at 11:59 PM. The ball goes through a minute-long descent and hits the
ground at the stroke of midnight.
28. The dropping of the New Year Ball is actually pretty new tradition that started only in 1907. Though currently
the ball is made of Waterford Crystal, it was originally made of wood and iron.
29. America has another pretty popular New Year tradition, which is known as the Rose Bowl. The tradition started
back in 1890 featuring the Rose Parade is California’s Pasadena. The parade features floats festooned with
eighteen (18) million flowers.
30. In Australia’s Sydney Harbour, the shoreline stretching 40 miles is crowded by more than a million people just
for watching the fireworks show.