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U.S New Year History

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Learn about the History of the New Year Ball

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NYE History & Times Square Ball | Times Square NYC

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Learn more about the history of the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration and more about the iconic Times Square Ball that drops at midnight every year to ring in the New Year.

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Learn about the history of New Years with this article

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A move from March to JanuaryNew Year’s FeaturesNew Year’s TraditionsRosh Hashannah, Jewish New YearChinese New YearMuharram, Islamic New YearSaying “Happy New Year!

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In Hmong traditions, people get days off from farming, and take religious ceremonies, and more. Read more about their traditions from this article.

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All About Mothers

New Year Traditions

One of the most unusual aspects of the Hmong culture is that the New Year Festival is celebrated with everyone in the community. The New Year is the only time of the year that these people have off as they are farming all the year. So it is no wonder that this time of the year is most important as it fulfills all of their religious and social functions.

The Hmong do not celebrate the New Year on the official date all the time as it may not coincide with the end of the harvesting of the rice. It is also preferable that the New Year festival coincide with other nearby villages so that the unmarried men of the village can meet perspective wives in other communities as well. In Australia they celebrate at Christmas/New Year when they can have a holiday.

The New Year festival must be at least three days as it was considered bad luck for it to last a day that was an even number. It can last a month to a month and a half.

The three most important aspects of the festival are one, the religious rituals must be observed; two, the mating which goes on among the young people; and three the display of wealth.

Religious rituals take place on the last day of the old year which is called hnub peb caug or the thirtieth day. They believe in a wide variety of spirits both good and bad. There are many ways to help keep the good spirits happy such as asking for their assistance for the year ahead. To remove the bad spirits you can do one of these rites;
1. Sweeping the House. 2. The Magic Rope Nkaum Taw Qaib. 3. Calling Home the Spirits. 4. The Household Spirit. 5. Other Rituals - give the family's money a rest for three days.

The children play games such as tops and a game similar to badminton.

The Hmong believe in evil spirits at New Year. They clean up the whole of their house and get rid of all dust, dirt and soot together, they then take this outside and place it near a rope that has been tied to a tree in a loop. They then jump in and out of the rope loop, this is done to confuse the dirt spirits who try to follow but only get confused and decide to go away. By doing this the Hmong people get rid of evil and bad luck at each New Year.

The Hmong children play a New Year game called forfeit.

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Hmong New Year Traditions Around the World at FatherTime's Net.

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All About Mothers New Year Traditions One of the most unusual aspects of the Hmong culture is that the New Year Festival is celebrated with everyone in the community. The New Year is the only time of the year that these people have off as they are farming all the year.

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New Years Traditions

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The popular name for Vietnamese New Year is Tet. Find out more popular names, food, and other traditions from this article.

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All About Mothers

New Year Traditions

The more popular name for the Vietnamese New Year is Tet, where as the formal name is Nguyen-dan. Tet is a very important festival because it provides one of the few breaks in the agricultural year, as it falls between the harvesting of the crops and the sowing of the new crops.

The Vietnamese prepare well in advance for the New Year by cleaning their houses, polishing their copper and silverware and paying off all their debts.

They observe the custom of the kitchen god tao for a week before the New Year, they believe there are three gods represented by the three legs of the cooking equipment used in the kitchen. The middle god is a woman the other two are her husbands. It was once customary to provide the gods with a carp on which to travel. The carp represents the second last stage in the process by which animals are gradually transformed into dragons. They buy the carp from the market, bring it home and place it in a bucket of water to place at the altar of the house before it is later set free.

A special rice pudding is eaten at New Year which must be prepared beforehand. The rice pudding is known as banh Chung or banh Tet. The pudding contains mung beans and pork. New Year foods such as preserved sweets, beef, chicken, fish, oranges, coconuts, grapefruits and other seasonal fruits, especially watermelon. Watermelon is considered lucky because the flesh is red, so the choice of the melon must be taken carefully so as to find one rich in color. The seeds are often dyed red also and served as delicacies.

The last day of the year a plant such as the bamboo tree is planted in the courtyard of their homes. They decorate the tree with bells, flowers, and red streamers. The decorations are not for decorative purposes but are to guard the family against evil spirits.

During the middle of the day an offering is placed on the altar of the household for the ancestor's of the family. This is done every day throughout the New Year Festival and along with that incense is burnt at the altar.

They believed in the custom of the first person through the door in the New Year will reflect the family's future luck and wealth.

On the first day of the New Year they visit all their closest friends, teachers and their parents. The second day they visit their in-laws and other friends who are not as close. Third day they visit the family of their teacher and their more distant relatives.

On the fourth day the spirits return to heaven and business returns to normal.

They also visit their local temple and they bring back flowers or greenery as a gift from the celestial spirits. This gift will be kept in the house all year.

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Vietnamese New Year Traditions Around the World at FatherTime's Net.

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All About Mothers New Year Traditions The more popular name for the Vietnamese New Year is Tet , where as the formal name is Nguyen-dan . Tet is a very important festival because it provides one of the few breaks in the agricultural year, as it falls between the harvesting of the crops and the sowing of the new crops.

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New Years food

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Pork, fish, noodles, and more. Learn more about these foods and their meanings in different cultures.

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Make your new year as prosperous and delicious as possible with these 7 foods that are sure to boost your luck!

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Pig, noodles, fowl, and what? Learn more about traditional New Year's eats around the world.

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They eat what? New Year’s food traditions around the world | CNN

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From Hoppin’ John in the United States to soba noodles in Japan, here’s a tasty sampling of New Year’s food traditions around the world.

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This song is most commonly sung for English-speakers on New Year's Eve. "Auld Lang Syne is an old Scottish song that was published by the poet Robert Burns.

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Auld Lang Syne and other New Year's customs

Auld Lang Syne

The most commonly sung song for English-speakers on New Year's eve, "Auld Lang Syne" is an old Scottish song that was first published by the poet Robert Burns in the 1796 edition of the book, Scots Musical Museum. Burns transcribed it (and made some refinements to the lyrics) after he heard it sung by an old man from the Ayrshire area of Scotland, Burns's homeland.

It is often remarked that "Auld Lang Syne" is one of the most popular songs that nobody knows the lyrics to. "Auld Lang Syne" literally translates as "old long since" and means "times gone by." The song asks whether old friends and times will be forgotten and promises to remember people of the past with fondness, "For auld lang syne, we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet."

The lesser known verses continue this theme, lamenting how friends who once used to "run about the braes,/ And pou'd the gowans fine" (run about the hills and pulled up the daisies) and "paidl'd in the burn/Frae morning sun till dine" (paddled in the stream from morning to dusk) have become divided by time and distance-"seas between us braid hae roar'd" (broad seas have roared between us). Yet there is always time for old friends to get together-if not in person then in memory-and "tak a right guid-willie waught" (a good-will drink).

But it was bandleader Guy Lombardo, and not Robert Burns, who popularized the song and turned it into a New Year's tradition. Lombardo first heard "Auld Lang Syne" in his hometown of London, Ontario, where it was sung by Scottish immigrants. When he and his brothers formed the famous dance band, Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, the song became one of their standards. Lombardo played the song at midnight at a New Year's eve party at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City in 1929, and a tradition was born. After that, Lombardo's version of the song was played every New Year's eve from the 1930s until 1976 at the Waldorf Astoria. In the first years it was broadcast on radio, and then on television. The song became such a New Year's tradition that " Life magazine wrote that if Lombardo failed to play 'Auld Lang Syne,' the American public would not believe that the new year had really arrived."

Hogmanay (Scotland)

The birthplace of "Auld Lang Syne" is also the home of Hogmanay (hog-mah-NAY), the rousing Scottish New Year's celebration (the origins of the name are obscure). One of the traditions is "first-footing." Shortly after midnight on New Year's eve, neighbors pay visits to each other and impart New Year's wishes. Traditionally, First foots used to bring along a gift of coal for the fire, or shortbread. It is considered especially lucky if a tall, dark, and handsome man is the first to enter your house after the new year is rung in. The Edinburgh Hogmanay celebration is the largest in the country, and consists of an all-night street party (visit their Hagmanay website here).

Oshogatsu (Japan)

The new year is the most important holiday in Japan, and is a symbol of renewal. In December, various Bonenkai or "forget-the-year parties" are held to bid farewell to the problems and concerns of the past year and prepare for a new beginning. Misunderstandings and grudges are forgiven and houses are scrubbed. At midnight on Dec. 31, Buddhist temples strike their gongs 108 times, in a effort to expel 108 types of human weakness. New Year's day itself is a day of joy and no work is to be done. Children receive otoshidamas, small gifts with money inside. Sending New Year's cards is a popular tradition-if postmarked by a certain date, the Japanese post office guarantees delivery of all New Year's cards on Jan. 1.

Spain

The Spanish ritual on New Year's eve is to eat twelve grapes at midnight. The tradition is meant to secure twelve happy months in the coming year.

The Netherlands

The Dutch burn bonfires of Christmas trees on the street and launch fireworks. The fires are meant to purge the old and welcome the new.

Greece

In Greece, New Year's day is also the Festival of St. Basil, one of the founders of the Greek Orthodox Church. One of the traditional foods served is Vassilopitta, or St Basil's cake. A silver or gold coin is baked inside the cake. Whoever finds the coin in their piece of cake will be especially lucky during the coming year.

United States

Probably the most famous tradition in the United States is the dropping of the New Year ball in Times Square, New York City, at 11:59 p.m. Thousands gather to watch the ball make its one-minute descent, arriving exactly at midnight. The tradition first began in 1907. The original ball was made of iron and wood; the current ball is made of Waterford Crystal, weighs 1,070 pounds, and is six feet in diameter.

A traditional southern New Year's dish is Hoppin' John-black eyed peas and ham hocks. An old saying goes, "Eat peas on New Year's day to have plenty of everything the rest of the year."

Another American tradition is the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Tournament of Roses parade that precedes the football game on New Year's day is made up of elaborate and inventive floats. The first parade was held in 1886.

Widely Observed New Year Symbols and Traditions

Resolutions: It is believed that the Babylonians were the first to make New Year's resolutions, and people all over the world have been breaking them ever since. The early Christians believed the first day of the new year should be spent reflecting on past mistakes and resolving to improve oneself in the new year.

Fireworks: Noisemaking and fireworks on New Year's eve is believed to have originated in ancient times, when noise and fire were thought to dispel evil spirits and bring good luck. The Chinese are credited with inventing fireworks and use them to spectacular effect in their New Year's celebrations.

For more New Year's features see the History of New Year and Saying "Happy New Year!" Around the World.

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The most commonly sung song for English-speakers on New Year's eve, "Auld Lang Syne" is an old Scottish song that was first published by the poet Robert Burns in the 1796 edition of the book, Scots Musical Museum.

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My first resolution is to get healthier.

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I would like to read more books and challenge myself to do so.

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From what I've learned this year; life's not easy and it can be challenging. For instance, I thought I was going to do great in science, but I have a B. That's a great thing. School was harder and I had to work harder to get the grades I have right now. So, thanks to all of my teachers for teaching me better than my last ones.

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This song represents me in middle school. On how I made friends, lost some, and how I saw boys during the years. "Fifteen" is just a song that relates to my school life, and my life now.

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