Some might even get a kiss at midnight. Although much of this celebration occurs the night before, the merrymaking typically continues into the new year.
Celebrations in the Philippines In the Philippines, celebrations are very loud, believing that the noise will scare away evil beings. There is often a midnight feast featuring twelve different round fruits to symbolize good luck for the twelve months of the year.
Greece Greeks celebrate their New Year with card games and feasting. Whoever gets the piece of pie containing the coin wins luck for the next year.
The holiday is also celebrated with feasts, champagne, and wishes. Spain Spaniards celebrate their New Year with the custom of eating twelve grapes, each eaten at a clock-stroke at midnight. In colder countries close to water, such as Canada, parts of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, it is customary to organize cold-water plunges. And what exactly is the story behind the practice of smooching your loved one at midnight?
If you're looking for a deeper look behind the history of the holiday, here are some fascinating New Year's history facts that's sure to get you ready for — especially after a delicious New Year's Eve dinner and a glass of bubbly. You might be surprised to know that New Year's has a long, ancient history; in fact, the earliest recorded celebration to honor the new year is believed to date back some 4, years — in 2, B.
According to History. The holiday celebrated the mythical victory of the sky god Marduk over the sea goddess Tiamat, and also involved the act of either crowning a new king or allowing the old king to continue his rule. Either way, this day festival would probably have put our current New Year's Eve parties to shame!
Though the date of New Year's Day is obvious to us now, the holiday wasn't always celebrated in January. Throughout time, different civilizations typically welcomed the new year during a significant astronomical or agricultural event — like the Romans who celebrated in March, following their lunar cycle — until 46 B. The Roman calendar had previously set the start of the year as March, though in 46 BC, Julius Caesar changed the date to the day we know now.
Still, it took a while to stick, according to LiveScience. LiveScience also observed that the Earth is closest to the sun in early January. Perhaps a coincidence, or an interesting connection. A later king, Numa Pompilius, is credited with adding the months of Januarius and Februarius. Over the centuries, the calendar fell out of sync with the sun, and in 46 B. He introduced the Julian calendar, which closely resembles the more modern Gregorian calendar that most countries around the world use today.
Romans celebrated by offering sacrifices to Janus, exchanging gifts with one another, decorating their homes with laurel branches and attending raucous parties. Revelers often enjoy meals and snacks thought to bestow good luck for the coming year. In Spain and several other Spanish-speaking countries, people bolt down a dozen grapes-symbolizing their hopes for the months ahead-right before midnight.
Ring-shaped cakes and pastries, a sign that the year has come full circle, round out the feast in the Netherlands, Mexico , Greece and elsewhere. The practice of making resolutions for the new year is thought to have first caught on among the ancient Babylonians, who made promises in order to earn the favor of the gods and start the year off on the right foot.
They would reportedly vow to pay off debts and return borrowed farm equipment.
0コメント