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Celebrating New Year is all about welcoming the New Year and celebrating the last day of the previous year to the hilt. Party hoppers usually enjoy 31st December of the previous year by attending New Year bashes or a family party.
New Year advances soon after the Christmas festivity and people indulge themselves in New Year Celebrations by planning on how to rejoice the New Year to the fullest. People embellish their homes on New Year to augment the beautiful ambiance.
New Year is also known as First Night celebrations in many nations. The First Night traditional celebrations start from afternoon and continue till midnight. The first night merriments initially started in Boston in the year 1976 and since then it became quite popular.

Origin of New Year

Beginning of New Year dates back to the period of kings. The kings thought of a special day which should be marked for celebrating the commencement and the end of the year. The initial New Year celebrations were witnessed in Mesopotamia about 2000 years. It was celebrated by the Egyptians, Persians and Phoenicians during Equinox in mid-March.
Ancient New Year Calendar - According to the prehistoric Roman calendar New Year was marked on March 1. This calendar comprised ten months and March was considered as the first month of the year. The calendar was instigated by the cycles of the moon, starting in spring season and ending with autumn cultivation.
Addition of Two Calendar Months - The second King of Rome Numa Pompilius fragmented the year into twelve lunar months by including the months of January and February. As January marked the commencement of the New Year in Rome, New Year was modified to this month.
January 1 as an authorized Date of New Year Celebrations - Julius Caesar, the Roman King announced January 1 as the date for New Year celebration in 46 B.C. The month of January was christened after a Roman God and it instigated the emperor to make January as the date for New Year rejoicing. People say that Caesar rejoiced January 1 by commanding the revolutionary Jewish troops to go back to their kingdom.
Elimination of Roman New Year Date - The pagan festivals were given due considerations during the medieval period and March 25 was declared as the starting of New Year. This day is also called Annunciation Day because on this day Mary received the news that she must get impregnated. Later, the King of England announced that December 25th should be celebrated as the birth of Christ.
Gregorian Calendar - Pope Gregory XIII, abandoned the Julian calendar after 500 years later. He initiated Gregorian calendar which constituted of a leap year after every four years. This was another way to sustain equilibrium between seasons and calendar.
At last, in 1582, Gregorian calendar declared first day of January as the New Year.

New Year Day Celebrations

As per the Gregorian calendar New Year is celebrated by all nations on January 1. In many nations January 1 is a holiday. Big parties, balls and parades are arranged to greet New Year and bid goodbye to the pervious year.

New Year`s Day Eve

New Year celebrations start on the eve of the New Year on December 31. Late night bashes are arranged to bid farewell to the previous year. As soon as the clock strikes twelve at the midnight, people start hugging and wishing each other `Happy New Year`. They cut cakes and burst firecrackers to give a festive reception to the forthcoming year.

Exchanging good wishes on New Year`s Day

People wear vibrant new clothes on the New Year`s Day and clean their homes. In many countries people pursue the custom of `first footing` and do not step outside their house before someone steps in first. Ideally, the person who first sets his foot in is entitled to get some gifts and is greeted with a warm welcome by the housemates. Later they exchange gifts and good wishes among their loves ones.
Popular New Year gifts incorporate cake, flowers, chocolates, decorative and New Year Greeting cards. The basic notion behind swapping gifts and good wishes is to provide warm wishes for a New Year and build up the relationship of love among the near and dear ones.

New Year`s Day Promises

On January 1, there is a very old custom of making New Year Resolutions. Resolutions are generally done to quit bad habits and implement good ones such as reducing weight, quitting smoking, giving up junk food consumption and being punctual. However, people fail to keep their promises but the significance of adopting a New Year`s Day resolution every year is remains the same.

New Year`s Day Outing

New Year`s Day is declared a holiday in many countries especially those which are Christian dominated nations. In many countries Christmas holiday extends till New Year`s Day. Thus people have ample of time and reasons to rejoice the festival.
Going to tourist destinations on Christmas is one of the popular trends. While some of the vacationers go for picnics, camping, trekking, skiing etc. Malls, theaters and restaurants are also filled with huge crowds where families come to celebrate the occasion together.
Some nations arrange New Year Day Parades and Sports in which many people take part and see these joyful activities. Those who prefer moderation basically arrange New Year`s Day bashes at home and spend the first day of the year with their loved ones.
New Year is celebrated in different ways in different countries. It is based on their rituals, customs and traditions. 31st December is not necessarily the same New Year eve round the world. It is different in different countries. But the spirit with which New Year is celebrated including sumptuous cuisines, parties, games and gifts-all remains the same throughout the world. People welcome New Year with open arms and give it a warm hug.