Did you Know

New Year’s celebrations

New Year’s celebrations are among the oldest festivities in human history. Over 4,000 years ago, the ancient Babylonians marked the new year during the vernal equinox in mid-March. They held an 11-day festival called Akitu to honor their gods and affirm the king’s divine mandate.

Origins

The date of New Year’s Day has shifted throughout history. In 46 B.C., Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar, designating January 1 as the start of the new year in honor of Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions.

New Years Traditions

Around the world, cultures have unique New Year’s traditions. In Spain and Latin America, it’s customary to eat twelve grapes at midnight for good luck in each month ahead. In Japan, Buddhist temples ring bells 108 times to cleanse sins. In Denmark, people leap off chairs at midnight to “jump” into the new year. Fireworks are a common spectacle, originating from ancient practices to ward off evil spirits with loud noises.

Whether it’s watching the ball drop in New York City’s Times Square or lighting lanterns during China’s Lunar New Year, these traditions celebrate renewal, hope and new possibilities.