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the start of the new year solution begun back 4,000 years ago with the ancient Babylonians

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The ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year's resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year-though for them the year began not in January but in mid-March, when the crops were planted. During a massive 12-day religious festival known as Akitu, the Babylonians crowned a new king or reaffirmed their loyalty to the reigning king. They also made promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed. These promises could be considered the forerunners of our New Year's resolutions. If the Babylonians kept to their word, their (pagan) gods would bestow favor on them for the coming year. If not, they would fall out of the gods' favor-a place no one wanted to be.

A similar practice occurred in ancient Rome, after the reform-minded emperor Julius Caesar tinkered with the calendar and established January 1 as the beginning of the new year circa 46 B.C. Named for Janus, the two-faced god whose spirit inhabited doorways and arches, January had special significance for the Romans. Believing that Janus symbolically looked backwards into the previous year and ahead into the future, the Romans offered sacrifices to the deity and made promises of good conduct for the coming year.

For early Christians, the first day of the new year became the traditional occasion for thinking about one's past mistakes and resolving to do and be better in the future. In 1740, the English clergyman John Wesley, founder of Methodism, created the Covenant Renewal Service, most commonly held on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. Also known as known as watch night services, they included readings from Scriptures and hymn singing, and served as a spiritual alternative to the raucous celebrations normally held to celebrate the coming of the new year. Now popular within evangelical Protestant churches, especially African-American denominations and congregations, watch night services held on New Year's Eve are often spent praying and making resolutions for the coming year.

Despite the tradition's religious roots, New Year's resolutions today are a mostly secular practice. Instead of making promises to the gods, most people make resolutions only to themselves, and focus purely on self-improvement (which may explain why such resolutions seem so hard to follow through on). According to recent research, while as many as 45 percent of Americans say they usually make New Year's resolutions, only 8 percent are successful in achieving their goals. But that dismal record probably won't stop people from making resolutions anytime soon-after all, we've had about 4,000 years of practice.

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The ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year's resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year-though for them the year began not in January but in mid-March, when the crops were planted.

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during the time in 45 B.C. New Years day was celebrated for the first time in history

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In 45 B.C., New Year's Day is celebrated on January 1 for the first time in history as the Julian calendar takes effect.

Soon after becoming Roman dictator, Julius Caesar decided that the traditional Roman calendar was in dire need of reform. Introduced around the seventh century B.C., the Roman calendar attempted to follow the lunar cycle but frequently fell out of phase with the seasons and had to be corrected. In addition, the pontifices, the Roman body charged with overseeing the calendar, often abused its authority by adding days to extend political terms or interfere with elections.

In designing his new calendar, Caesar enlisted the aid of Sosigenes, an Alexandrian astronomer, who advised him to do away with the lunar cycle entirely and follow the solar year, as did the Egyptians. The year was calculated to be 365 and 1/4 days, and Caesar added 67 days to 46 B.C., making 45 B.C. begin on January 1, rather than in March. He also decreed that every four years a day be added to February, thus theoretically keeping his calendar from falling out of step. Shortly after Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C., Mark Anthony changed the name of the month Quintilis to Julius (July) to honor him. Later, the month of Sextilis was renamed Augustus (August) after his successor.

Celebration of New Year's Day in January fell out of practice during the Middle Ages, and even those who strictly adhered to the Julian calendar did not observe the New Year exactly on January 1. The reason for the latter was that Caesar and Sosigenes failed to calculate the correct value for the solar year as 365.242199 days, not 365.25 days. Thus, an 11-minute-a-year error added seven days by the year 1000, and 10 days by the mid-15th century.

The Church became aware of this problem, and in the 1570s Pope Gregory XIII commissioned Jesuit astronomer Christopher Clavius to come up with a new calendar. In 1582, the Gregorian calendar was implemented, omitting 10 days for that year and establishing the new rule that only one of every four centennial years should be a leap year. Since then, people around the world have gathered en masse on January 1 to celebrate the precise arrival of the New Year.
READ MORE: 5 Ancient New Year's Celebrations

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The Julian calendar takes effect for the first time on New Year's Day

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In 45 B.C., New Year's Day is celebrated on January 1 for the first time in history as the Julian calendar takes effect. Soon after becoming Roman dictator, Julius Caesar decided that the traditional Roman calendar was in dire need of reform.

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an event that happened this year on January 1,2020 was

Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne Division preparing for deployment amid unrest in Baghdad.

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FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- After protesters stormed a U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, the 82nd Airborne Division based out of Fort Bragg is preparing to be deployed to Kuwait, according to officials.

Wednesday morning, soldiers boarded C-17 aircrafts after learning they would be deployed just 18 hours earlier. A release from the 82nd Airborne Division says that more than 650 Paratroopers are being deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operations as part of the Immediate Response Force.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper later announced that "in response to recent events" in Iraq, and at Trump's direction, he authorized the immediate deployment of an infantry battalion of soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to the Middle East. He did not specify their destination, but a U.S. official familiar with the decision said they will go to Kuwait.

"When the president dials 9-1-1, Fort Bragg answers the call," said North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson. "Renee and I are praying for these paratroopers and their safe return home, for their families, and for all of America's men and women in uniform."

Esper said additional soldiers from the 82nd Airborne's quick-deployment brigade, known officially as its Immediate Response Force, are prepared to deploy over the next several days. The U.S. official, who provided unreleased details on condition of anonymity, said the full brigade of about 4,000 soldiers may deploy.

According to the U.S. Army's website, the 82nd Airborne Division is "a force prepared to respond to crisis contingencies anywhere in the world within 18 hours."

"This deployment is an appropriate and precautionary action taken in response to increased threat levels against U.S. personnel and facilities, such as we witnessed in Baghdad today," Esper said in a written statement. "The United States will protect our people and interests anywhere they are found around the world."

The 750 soldiers deploying immediately are in addition to 14,000 U.S. troops who have deployed to the Gulf region since May in response to concerns about Iranian aggression, including its alleged sabotage of commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf

Tuesday's breach of the embassy compound in Baghdad, which caused no known U.S. casualties or evacuations, revealed growing strains between Washington and Baghdad, raising questions about the future of the U.S. military mission there. The U.S. has about 5,200 troops in Iraq, mainly to train Iraqi forces and help them combat Islamic State extremists.

The breach followed American airstrikes Sunday that killed 25 fighters of an Iran-backed militia in Iraq, the Kataeb Hezbollah. The U.S. said those strikes were in retaliation for last week's killing of an American contractor and the wounding of American and Iraqi troops in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base that the U.S. blamed on the militia. The American strikes angered the Iraqi government, which called them an unjustified violation of its sovereignty.

Trump blamed Iran for the embassy breach and called on Iraq to protect the diplomatic mission even as the U.S. reinforced the compound with Marines from Kuwait.

Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many. We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2019

"Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many," he tweeted from his estate in Florida. "We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!"

Even as Trump has argued for removing U.S. troops from Mideast conflicts, he also has singled out Iran as a malign influence in the region. After withdrawing the U.S. in 2018 from an international agreement that exchanged an easing of sanctions for curbs on Iran's nuclear program, Trump ratcheted up sanctions.

Those economic penalties, including a virtual shut-off of Iranian oil exports, are aimed at forcing Iran to negotiate a broader nuclear deal. But critics say that pressure has pushed Iranian leaders into countering with a variety of military attacks in the Gulf.

Until Sunday's U.S. airstrikes, Trump had been measured in his response to Iranian provocations. In June, he abruptly called off U.S. military strikes on Iranian targets in retaliation for the downing of an American drone.

Robert Ford, a retired U.S. diplomat who served five years in Baghdad and then became ambassador in Syria, said Iran's allies in the Iraqi parliament may be able to harness any surge in anger among Iraqis toward the United States to force U.S. troops to leave the country. Ford said Trump miscalculated by approving Sunday's airstrikes on Kataeb Hezbollah positions in Iraq and Syria - strikes that drew a public rebuke from the Iraqi government and seem to have triggered Tuesday's embassy attack.

"The Americans fell into the Iranian trap," Ford said, with airstrikes that turned some Iraqi anger toward the U.S. and away from Iran and the increasingly unpopular Iranian-backed Shiite militias.

The tense situation in Baghdad appeared to upset Trump's vacation routine in Florida, where he is spending the holidays.

Trump spent just under an hour at his private golf club in West Palm Beach before returning to his Mar-a-Lago resort in nearby Palm Beach. He had spent nearly six hours at his golf club on each of the previous two days. Trump spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and emphasized the need for Iraq to protect Americans and their facilities in the country, said White House spokesman Hogan Gidley.

Trump is under pressure from some in Congress to take a hard-line approach to Iranian aggression, which the United States says included an unprecedented drone and missile attack on the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry in September. More recently, Iran-backed militias in Iraq have conducted numerous rocket attacks on bases hosting U.S. forces.

Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican and supporter of Trump's Iran policy, called the embassy breach "yet another reckless escalation" by Iran.

Tuesday's attack was carried out by members of the Iran-supported Kataeb Hezbollah militia. Dozens of militiamen and their supporters smashed a main door to the compound and set fire to a reception area, but they did not enter the main buildings.

Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, blamed Iran for the episode and faulted Trump for his "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran.

"The results so far have been more threats against international commerce, emboldened and more violent proxy attacks across the Middle East, and now, the death of an American citizen in Iraq," Menendez said, referring to the rocket attack last week.

By early evening Tuesday, the mob had retreated from the compound but set up several tents outside for an intended sit-in. Dozens of yellow flags belonging to Iran-backed Shiite militias fluttered atop the reception area and were plastered along the embassy's concrete wall along with anti-U.S. graffiti. American Apache helicopters flew overhead and dropped flares over the area in what the U.S. military called a "show of force."

The U.S. also was sending 100 or more additional Marines to the embassy compound to support its defenses.

The embassy breach was seen by some analysts as affirming their view that it is folly for the U.S. to keep forces in Iraq after having eliminated the Islamic State group's territorial hold in the country.

A U.S. withdrawal from Iraq is also a long-term hope of Iran, noted Paul Salem, president of the Washington-based Middle East Institute.

And it's always possible Trump would "wake up one morning and make that decision" to pull U.S. forces out of Iraq, as he announced earlier with the U.S. military presence in neighboring Syria, Salem said. Trump's Syria decision triggered the resignation of his first defense secretary, retired Gen. Jim Mattis, but the president later amended his decision and about 1,200 U.S. troops remain in Syria.

Trump's best weapon with Iran is the one he's already using - the sanctions, said Salem. He and Ford said Trump would do best to keep resisting Iran's attempt to turn the Iran-U.S. conflict into a full-blown military one. The administration should also make a point of working with the Iraqi government to deal with the militias, Ford said.

For the president, Iran's attacks - directly and now through proxies in Iraq - have "been working that nerve," Salem said. "Now they really have Trump's attention."

___

Associated Press writers Matthew Lee, Darlene Superville and Sagar Meghani contributed to this report.

Stay with ABC11 for more information.

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Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne Division preparing for deployment amid unrest in Baghdad

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FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- After protesters stormed a U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, the 82nd Airborne Division based out of Fort Bragg is preparing to be deployed to Kuwait, according to officials. Wednesday morning, soldiers boarded C-17 aircrafts after learning they would be deployed just 18 hours earlier.

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in China for the New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is very important in China

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Chinese New Year: Celebrations, Zodiac Sign 2024 (Easy to Read)

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Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year or Spring Festival 2024 falls on Saturday, February 10th, 2024. Dragon is the new year animal. Learn more about Chinese Lunar New Year traditions, taboos, food, zodiac signs, and greetings.

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in Russia they actually celebrate 2 new years Russia's "old" new year and "new" new year

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For many countries, the majority of winter holidays have passed, but this is not the case in Russia! In fact, Russian New Year's Eve trumps Christmas in importance, with significant celebrations occurring all over the country in recognition of the holiday.

There are actually two New Year's holidays celebrated in Russia. Russia's "Old" New Year is celebrated on January 14 according to the Julian, or Orthodox, calendar. This celebration is the smaller of the two New Year's holidays, and Russians usually spend the day with family.

The "New" New Year's celebrations occur as most would expect, on December 31 and January 1 . To celebrate this holiday, many Russians attend concerts or fireworks displays, with the largest located at the Red Square. On December 31 , most families have a very late dinner including Russian salads, herring, and sparkling wine. A short presidential address comes on TV at 11:55 pm local time in each of Russia's time zones, and the president reflects on achievements from the last year. At midnight, the Kremlin Spasskaya Clock Tower chimes and the Russian national anthem begins. Now is when the festivities really begin! Many Russians spend December 31 with family and only leave the house after midnight to see friends or enjoy New Year's Eve parties and nightlife.

January first is considered the "New" New Year since it was only recognized as a holiday once Russia switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. During the Soviet era, New Year's was celebrated instead of Christmas, but Christmas is now regaining importance. Still, New Year's Day is when the Russian Santa, Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) , visits children to pass out gifts. Instead of elves, he brings along his granddaughter, Snegurochka (The Snow Maiden), to help him Rather than having Christmas trees, families decorate a New Year's tree, called a Novogodnaya Yolka, and it is left up to celebrate both New Year's holidays.
Fun Facts:

Russians welcome the New Year by saying "S Novim Godom!" (С Новым годом!)

New Year's isn't complete without traditional Russian salads. The most popular is Olivier salad, which includes potatoes, carrots, pickles, green peas, eggs, chicken or bologna, and mayonnaise.

Christmas is observed on January 7 in Russia, per the Julian calendar used by the Russian Orthodox Church.

For more information on the Russian New Year visit:

http://goeasteurope.about.com/od/russianculture/a/russiannewyeark.htm

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/russia/new-year-day

http://rbth.com/society/2014/12/26/the_top_10_requirements_for_a_stereotypical_russian_new_year_42591.html

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New Year's Traditions in Russia - Cultural Awareness

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For many countries, the majority of winter holidays have passed, but this is not the case in Russia! In fact, Russian New Year's Eve trumps Christmas in importance, with significant celebrations occurring all over the country in recognition of the holiday. There are actually two New Year's holidays celebrated in Russia.

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in Spain as a new years tradition they eat 12 grapes one for each stroke of midnight

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Ringing in the new year and bidding adieu to the old one is a tradition that spans the globe. But it's not just all fireworks and glittery ball drops everywhere. Some celebrate by eating 12 grapes, while others smash fine china.

If you're looking for a celebration that's a little off the beaten path this year, check out our list below of seven unique New Year's Eve traditions around the world.

1. Hogmanay in Edinburgh

Reuters/Russell Cheyne

New Year's Eve is actually a three-day celebration in Scotland's capital -- and across the country. On December 30, 8,000 revelers holding torches create a "river of fire" that winds down through Old Town's streets, from Parliament Square to Calton Hill. To top off the procession, pipers and drums walk in step. On New Year's Eve itself, enjoy a few wee drams and ceilidh, a social gathering with Scottish music and traditional dancing. And if your head isn't aching from all the wee drams you knock back the night before, catch the last ceilidh of the holiday season on January 1. If you're truly brave, take part in the Loony Dook, a costumed, polar-plunge event in the Firth of Forth just outside the city.

2. Eating Grapes in Spain

Get your New Year's health resolutions off to a good start, thanks to Spain's tradition of eating 12 grapes, one for each stroke of midnight. It's harder than it sounds (people even practice for it), but if you're successful, tradition says you'll have a year of prosperity. The place to do it is in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid for Nochevieja (or New Year's Eve). Join the crowds, who will have 12 grapes in one hand and a glass of cava in the other. Stick around as it turns into a big party or head out to dance until the early hours of the morning at one of the city's clubs.

3. Smashing Plates in Denmark

Smashing things against someone's house might be considered bad luck - but in Denmark, people hold on to chipped dishes and glasses all year just for New Year's Eve. That night, they go around to the homes of friends and family and smash them against their front doors. The more shards you have on your doorstep the next morning, the more popular you are.

4. Jumping Seven Waves in Brazil

AP/Mauro Pimentel

We're all for a little mid-winter warmth, and while the festivities in Rio de Janeiro - especially on Copacabana Beach - are worth a trip in their own right, a few local traditions should definitely be thrown into the mix. One of them dictates that jumping seven waves will bring good luck in the coming year. Bonus points if you wear white while doing so (to bring peace) and bring a bouquet with you to throw into the ocean (an offering to the goddess of the seas).

5. Feasting Seven, Nine, or 12 Times in Estonia

Foodies and gourmands should head to Estonia for New Year's Eve -- not only is the capital city of Tallinn exceptionally gorgeous, but the New Year's Eve tradition of eating a lucky number of meals makes for a good excuse to indulge. And don't think you can get away with an extra meal or two -- the numbers seven, nine, and 12 are considered the luckiest. And as the tradition goes, eating seven, nine, or 12 times means you'll have the strength of that many men (we'd like to think women, too) in the new year. But you don't have to finish everything on your plate; leaving some food behind will make ancestral spirits happy.

6. Ringing Bells 108 Times in Japan

AP/Eugene Hoshiko

In Japan, New Year's Eve (or Omisoka) is celebrated by ringing bells in Buddhist temples. However, instead of a mere dozen times, ringing a bell 108 times -- the number of human desires and thus, causes of suffering, according to the Buddhist tradition - is thought to dispel negative emotions and mentalities. If you're in Tokyo, witness the ritual at the city's iconic Zojoji Temple.

7. Catch Junkanoo in the Bahamas

Junkanoo, a Bahamian festival that takes place on both Boxing Day and New Year's Day (the party starts at 2 a.m. on the first day of the year), is a can't-miss if you're visiting Nassau during the winter. Thought to have started in the late 18th century, when slaves were allowed to leave plantations to celebrate Christmas as a community, these noisy, vibrant parades that carry on until 10 a.m. are now an important part of the islands' holiday traditions. Groups of dancers hit the streets, while musicians beat goatskin drums and cow whistles. Plus, the costumes alone are a sight to behold.

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How New Year's Eve is celebrated in 7 different countries

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Ringing in the new year and bidding adieu to the old one is a tradition that spans the globe. But it's not just all fireworks and glittery ball drops everywhere. Some celebrate by eating 12 grapes, while others smash fine china.

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in china it is traditional foods they eat on to celebrate the new year are fish,dumplings,spring rolls, and good fortune fruit

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Certain dishes are eaten during the Chinese New Year for their symbolic meaning. Lucky food is served during the 16-day festival season, especially on Chinese New Year dinner on New Year's Eve, which is believed to bring good luck for the coming year.

The auspicious symbolism of these traditional Chinese New Year foods is based on their pronunciations or appearance. Not only do the dishes themselves matter, but also the preparation, and ways of serving and eating mean a lot.

The most common Chinese New Year foods include dumplings, fish, spring rolls, and niangao. We've rounded up 7 essential Chinese, or Lunar, New Year dishes, and included the symbolism behind them all.

1. Fish - an Increase in Prosperity

In Chinese, "fish" (鱼 Yú /yoo/) sounds like 'surplus'. Fish is a traditional Chinese New Year dish on the Chinese New Year dinner menu. Chinese people always like to have a surplus at the end of the year, because they think if they have managed to save something at the end of the year, then they can make more in the next year.

The fish should be the last dish left with some left over, as this has auspicious homophonics for there being surpluses every year. This is practiced north of the Yangtze River, but in other areas the head and tail of the fish shouldn't be eaten until the beginning of the year, which expresses the hope that the year will start and finish with surplus.

Steamed fish is one of the most famous Chinese New Year recipes. What fish should be chosen for the New Year dinner is based on auspicious homophonics.

Crucian carp: As the first character of 'crucian carp' (鲫鱼 jìyú /jee-yoo/) sounds like the Chinese word 吉 (jí /jee/ 'good luck'), eating crucian carp is considered to bring good luck for the next year.

Chinese mud carp: The first part of the Chinese for "mud carp" (鲤鱼 lǐyú /lee-yoo/) is pronounced like the word for gifts (礼 lǐ /lee/). So Chinese people think eating mud carp during the Chinese New Year symbolizes wishing for good fortune.

Catfish: The Chinese for "catfish" (鲶鱼 niányú /nyen-yoo/) sounds like 年余 (nián yú) meaning 'year surplus'. So eating catfish is a wish for a surplus in the year.

Eating two fish, one on New Year's Eve and one on New Year's Day, (if written in a certain way) sounds like a wish for a surplus year-after-year.

If only one catfish is eaten, eating the upper part of the fish on New Year's Eve and the remainder on the first day of the new year can be spoken with the same homophonic meaning.

Lucky Sayings for Eating Fish

年年有余 (Niánnián yǒu yú /nyen-nyen yo yoo/): May you always have more than you need!

鱼跃龙门 (Yú yuè lóngmén /yoo ywair long-mnn/): Success in your exam! ('A fish leaping over the dragon gate' implies successfully passing a competitive examination.)

2. Chinese Dumplings - Wealth

With a history of more than 1,800 years, dumpling (饺子 Jiǎozi /jyaoww-dzrr/) is a classic lucky food for Lunar New Year, and a traditional dish eaten on Chinese New Year's Eve, widely popular in China, especially in North China.

Chinese dumplings can be made to look like Chinese silver ingots (which are not bars, but boat-shaped, oval, and turned up at the two ends). Legend has it that the more dumplings you eat during the New Year celebrations, the more money you can make in the New Year.

Dumplings generally consist of minced meat and finely-chopped vegetables wrapped in a thin and elastic dough skin. Popular fillings are minced pork, diced shrimp, fish, ground chicken, beef, and vegetables. They can be cooked by boiling, steaming, frying or baking.

How they're made: Almost all Chinese people can make dumplings. First they mix the dough, second make the dough into round "wrappers" with a rolling pin, third fill the wrappers with stuffing, fourth pinch the "wrapper" together into the desired shape, and fifth cook them.

Lucky Saying for Eating Dumplings

Zhāo cái jìn bǎo (招财进宝/jaoww tseye jin baoww/): 'Bringing in wealth and treasure' - a felicitous wish for making money and amassing a fortune.

Read more about Chinese dumplings.

3. Whole Chicken - 'Luck' and 'Wholeness'

Chicken is a homophone for ji (吉, meaning 'good luck' and 'prosperity'). That is one thing that makes it such a welcome dish at reunion dinners. Chicken is usually served whole - head and feet included - to symbolize 'unity' and 'wholeness', while also signifying 'a good beginning and end' to the year.

Chicken is typically braised or roasted for a reunion meal with simple ingredients such as ginger or soy. Traditionally, a whole chicken is first offered to one's ancestors and gods for blessings and protection.

It is interesting that the chicken feet are usually eaten by the breadwinner in the family, as they might help them 'grab' onto wealth (the word 'grab' is a homophone of chicken's 'talons').

4. Chinese New Year Cake - a Higher Income or Position

Glutinous rice cake (年糕 Niángāo /nyen-gaoww/) is a lucky food eaten on Chinese New Year's Eve. In Chinese, glutinous rice cake sounds like it means "getting higher year-on- by year". In Chinese people's minds, this means the higher you are the more prosperous your business is a general improvement in life. The main ingredients of niangao are sticky rice, sugar, chestnuts, Chinese dates, and lotus leaves.

Lucky Saying for Eating Niangao

年年高 (niánnián gāo /nyen-nyen gaoww/): 'Getting higher year-after-year by year', can imply children's height, rise in business success, better grades in study, promotions at work, etc.

Read more details on Nian gao.

5. Spring Rolls - Wealth

Spring rolls (春卷 Chūnjuǎn /chwnn- jwen/) get their name because they are traditionally eaten during the Spring Festival. It is a Chinese New Year dish especially popular in East China: Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Fujian, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, etc.

Spring rolls are a Cantonese dim sum dish of cylindrical-shaped rolls filled with vegetables, meat, or something sweet. Fillings are wrapped in thin dough wrappers, then fried, when the spring rolls are given their golden-yellow color.

Lucky Saying for Eating Spring Rolls

黄金万两 (hwung-jin wan-lyang/): 'A ton of gold' (because fried spring rolls look like gold bars) - a wish for prosperity.

Read more about spring rolls.

6. Sweet Rice Balls - Family Togetherness

Sweet rice ball (汤圆 Tāngyuán /tung-ywen/) is the main food for China's Lantern Festival, however, in south China, people eat them throughout the Spring Festival. The pronunciation and round shape of tangyuan are associated with reunion and being together. That's why they are favored by the Chinese during the New Year celebrations.

Lucky Sayings for Eating Tangyuan

团团圆圆 (Tuántuán yuányuán /twann-twann ywen-ywen/ 'group-group round-round'): Happy (family) reunion!

7. Longevity Noodles - Happiness and Longevity

Longevity noodles (长寿面 Chángshòu Miàn /chung-show myen/) unsurprisingly symbolize a wish for longevity. Their length and unsevered preparation are also symbolic of the eater's life.

It is a lucky food eaten on Chinese New Year Day in North China.

They are longer than normal noodles and uncut, either fried and served on a plate, or boiled and served in a bowl with their broth.

8. Lion's Head Meatballs - 'Family Unity'

Lion's Head Meatballs (狮子头, shīzitóu) are a popular Chinese New Year dish, especially in Shanghai.

Tender and juicy homemade pork meatballs are steamed/braised, served with vegetables, and tossed in a sweet and sticky sauce. They are so named because of their shape, which resembles the head of a lion.

Lions represent 'strength' in Chinese culture, while the meatballs signify 'family unity' (because of their roundness).

9. Steamed Pork Belly with Taro - 'Prosperity'

Steamed pork belly with taro is a popular dish that often shows up on dinner tables during Chinese New Year festivities in southern China.

Pork is representative of 'a rich, prosperous life', 'wealth', 'strength', and 'abundant blessings'. Steamed pork expresses the wish that the New Year will be prosperous.

Tender pork slices with a harmonious profile of sweet, salty, and tangy notes are paired with soft and starchy taro slices.

10. Shrimp - 'Happiness'

Shrimp is a popular Chinese New Year dish among Cantonese people. Shrimp represents 'liveliness', as well as 'happiness' and 'good fortune', because the Cantonese word for shrimp, ha, sounds like laughter.

11. Vegetables - 'Spring', 'Wealth', and More

Chinese New Year's reunion dinner menu is not complete without vegetables. Vegetables signify 'spring', 'renewal', 'energy', 'progress', and 'wealth'. There are several traditional vegetables, each of them symbolizes something specific.

Lettuce: In Chinese and Cantonese, a word for 'lettuce' sounds a lot like a word for 'becoming wealthy'.

Baby bok choy: It can symbolize 'wealth' and 'luck' for the year as well as 'good fortune' for the future.

Gailan (Cantonese) or jielan (Mandarin), i.e. Chinese broccoli, signifies 'harmony'.

12. Fruit - Fullness and Wealth

Certain fruits are eaten during the Chinese New Year period, such as tangerines and oranges, and pomeloes. They are selected as they are particularly round and "golden" in color, symbolizing fullness and wealth, but more obviously for the lucky sound they bring when spoken.

Eating and displaying tangerines and oranges is believed to bring good luck and fortune due to their pronunciation, and even writing. The Chinese for orange (and tangerine) is 橙 (chéng /chnng/), which sounds the same as the Chinese for 'success' (成). One of the ways of writing tangerine (桔 jú /jyoo/) contains the Chinese character for luck (吉 jí /jee/).

Eating pomeloes/shaddocks is thought to bring continuous prosperity. The more you eat, the more wealth it will bring, as the traditional saying goes. The Chinese for pomelo (柚 yòu /yo/) sounds like 'to have' (有 yǒu), except for the tone, and exactly like 'again' (又 yòu).

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12 Lucky Chinese New Year Foods to Greet the Year of Dragon 2024

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What to eat for Chinese New Year 2024? Discover the top 12 Chinese New Year dishes that Chinese people eat during the Lunar New Year and on New Year's Day including fish, dumplings, Spring Rolls, Niangao and many other food.

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this is fireworks in Asia for new years celebration

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Fireworks light up New Year's Eve in Asia

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Fireworks and lights danced across Asia as countries across the continent rang in 2020.

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this year so far has taught me that i am capable of doing great things with myself.

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i hope by going through the rest of the year im able to gain new knowledge on everything i do.