When is New Year’s Day, and Why do we celebrate it? It may seem obvious, but there is more than one definition of a year, and different civilizations measure time in different ways. Some civilizations base their year around the sun, and others base a year using the moon.
In the United States, we use the Gregorian Calendar, which is based on the solar year- the time it takes the earth to orbit the sun- about 365 days. New Year’s Day is celebrated on the first of January every year.
IN 2023 the first country to officially enter into 2023 will be the Republic of Kiribati, an Oceania island.
The lunar New Year varies and takes a little more calculating. One lunar year is equal to 12 full cycles of the moon or approximately 354 days. Chinese Lunar New Year is probably the most well-known and begins at sunset on the day of the second new moon following the winter Solstice. Chinese New Year will begin at sunset on January 22, 2023.
Although New Year’s Eve is not an officially recognized federal holiday in the U.S., most people count it among their favorite holidays, and the actual celebrations for New Year’s will happen on New Year’s Eve. All the parties, the countdown to the New Year. New Year’s Day is Americans’ first official federal holiday on the calendar. In 1870 congress passed a law.
New Year’s Day is celebrated in various ways throughout the world. Parties, singing, kissing at midnight, drinking champagne, and fireworks set the mood on New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s day, eating foods that are supposed to bring good luck, such as pork and sauerkraut, and playing football games, are just some of the activities you can expect when Americans celebrate New Year’s.
For the Chinese, fireworks form the center of their New Year’s celebrations.
In Spain, people are challenged to eat 12 grapes in the 12 seconds before midnight on New Year’s Eve, while the Swiss drop blobs of whipped cream on the floor and leave them overnight on New Year’s Eve to invite richness and wealth in the New Year. In Scotland, you hope the first person to step into your home on New Year’s day is tall and dark because they are thought to bring the best luck, and in Columbia, you best find a pair of yellow underwear because yellow symbolizes love and happiness. What better way to start off a New Year?
In Japan, they ring Buddhist temple bells 108 times to represent each of the “human sins” and encourage people to make better choices in the New Year, while in Siberia, Russians like to start the new year with a clean slate by taking an icy plunge.
England is a bit more romantic when it comes to New Year. At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, couples kiss. The degree of passion in the kiss is supposed to foretell the relationship’s future.
Of course, the one activity most associated with New Year’s in the United States is making New Year’s Resolutions. Why? The New Year is seen as a time of optimism, planning, and resoluteness. We all get in the mood to make changes we’ve been thinking about or meaning to implement, such as getting more exercise, getting more sleep, getting a new job, or improving your internet access and security. Whatever it is you’ve been thinking about, now it is time to take action!
Happy New Year from Fatbeam!