New Years Eve
Well, it all started about 4,000 years ago. It was first observed in ancient Babylon. In the year about 2000 B.C. the Babylonian New Year began with the first new moon. The Babylonian celebration lasted for 11 days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration.
The Romans continued to observe the new year in late March, but their calendar was always being tampered with by various emperors so that the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun. In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the new year. But tampering continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar. It again established January 1 as the new year. But in order to synchronize the calendar with the sun, Caesar had to let the previous year drag on for 445 days.
One famous tradition is to make a New Year resolution. That tradition also dates back to the early Babylonians. Modern resolutions are things like to quit smoking, or loose weight. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. The tradition of using a baby to signify the new year was begun in Greece around 600 BC. It was their tradition at that time to celebrate their god of wine, Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket, representing the annual rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility. Early Egyptians also used a baby as spirit of fertility. Early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth.
Traditionally, it was thought that one could get luck throughout the year by what they did or ate on the first day of the new year. For that reason, it has been common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of the new year with family and friends. Parties often last late at night, past midnight after the ringing in of the new year. It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man. Traditional foods are also thought to bring in luck. Many cultures believe that anything in a rings will bring good luck because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a new year. For that reason the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Years Eve will bring them good luck. Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by eating black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been thought to be good luck in many cultures. The hog, and its meat, are considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is eaten on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity. The leaves are supposed to represent paper currency. In some places, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.
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