The History of New Years

People from all around the world have been celebrating New Year’s for at least four millennia. In today’s society, most of the New Year’s festivities begin on New Year’s Eve which falls on December 31st and continue on into the early hours of New Year’s Day, which is January 1st.

People ring in the New Year in different ways around the globe, but the most common celebrations and traditions are attending parties, eating special New Year’s foods, making resolutions for the New Year, and watching the ball drop at midnight in Times Square.

The earliest recorded New Year’s celebrations date back almost 4,000 years ago to ancient Babylon. The Babylonians marked the occasion with a huge religious festival called Akitu that consisted of a different ritual on each of its 11 days.

Many people participate in the New Year’s tradition of enjoying food and snacks that are believed to bring you good luck in the New Year. In Spain, people eat a dozen grapes right before midnight. This symbolizes their hopes for the months ahead.

Some New Year’s traditional food is more commonly known and practiced throughout the world such as legumes. They are thought to resemble coins and are believed to bring you financial success in the New Year. Some examples of these legumes include lentils in Italy and black-eyed peas in the southern United States.

In some worldly cultures, pigs represent progress and prosperity. Because of this, pork is a common New Year’s tradition in places such as Cuba, Austria, Hungary, and Portugal.

by Caylie Howard

In places such as the Netherlands, Mexico, and Greece they celebrate by eating ring-shaped cakes and pastries, while in Sweden and Norway they enjoy rice pudding with a hidden almond inside. It’s believed that whoever finds the almond will receive a year’s worth of good fortune.