New Year’s Eve is celebrated annually on 31st December which is the last day of Gregorian calendar to bid fare well to the old year and welcome the New Year. This festival which celebrates the arrival of New Year is a major event worldwide. The festival is celebrated in countries that follow the Gregorian calendar. The stroke of midnight on December 31st of the current year marks the end of the present year and beginning of the New Year ahead.
History
According to historians New Year was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. For the Babylonians, the first new moon following the vernal equinox heralded the start of a new year. This day in late March had an equal amount of sunlight and darkness. They marked the occasion with a massive religious festival called Akitu which for that lasted for eleven whole days. Romans celebrated the New Year in March because it was the first month in the Roman calendar. But the Roman calendar continually tampered with synchronization with the sun. To set the calendar right the Roman senate officially declared New Years to be January 1st in 153 B.C. January 1 was chosen because it marked the beginning of the civil year and it was the time when the Romans changed their governmental figures and new consuls were inducted into office. In 46 B.C. the emperor Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar, which closely resembles the more modern Gregorian calendar. The Julian calendar declared that the New Year would occur on January 1 as the first day of the year. This day was partly chosen to honour Janus, the Roman god of beginnings.
But in early medieval times most of Christian Europe regarded March 25 which was day of the Feast of the Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year and in 567 the Council of Tours abolished January 1 as the beginning of the year because the celebrations accompanying the new year were considered pagan and unchristian. However in 1582, the Gregorian calendar reform restored January 1 as New Year’s Day.
New Year’s Eve Celebrations
New Year’s Eve is celebrated with great gusto all over the world. On New Year’s Eve celebrations begin from evening and reach full swing at the stroke of midnight. Most of the time celebrations continue till the early mornings of January 1st. On this day there is a custom among people make New Year resolutions. This is a traditional way of welcoming the New Year. Popular modern resolutions include the promise to lose weight or quit smoking. The practice of making resolutions for the New Year is thought to have first started among the ancient Babylonians. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.
Although many countries around the world celebrate New Year's on the same day in each country it celebrated with different traditions. In India too New Year is celebrated with great grandeur. In metropolitan and big cites New Year’s Eve is celebrated on a grand scale. In small towns it is a low key affair however in recent year they too are catching up with the cities. This day sees a perfect blend of traditional and western celebrations. People celebrate the arrival of New Year with their family and friends by having a get together and New Year parties. Young people throng the night clubs and discotheques to attend the night parties and bashes in order to bid a fond farewell to the year gone by. New Year's Day is celebrated with loads of colourful fireworks and lighting of Bonfire
Live orchestra and dance performances are held in different places on New Year’s Eve. On this day it is many people visit places of worship to seek blessings from the almighty. Special pujas are held on this day as it is considered auspicious to start the New Year by offering prayers to god.
Goa is a favourite destination to celebrate the New Year in India. Many parties full of music dance and fun are held here and attract thousands of tourists from far and wide. Exchanging New Year gifts, flowers and greeting cards with near and dear ones is also part of the festival celebrations.
To sum it up New Year’s Eve is the time to cherish the sweet memories of the year that went by and welcome the New Year bountifully with lots of hopes and best wishes.