New Years

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Celebrating the dawn of a new year has been a tradition for over 4,000 years. The earliest new year celebrations occurred in ancient Babylon on the new moon after the vernal equinox. The Romans eventually moved the date, and for more than 400 years now, New Year's has been observed on January 1.Wilstar: New Year's Day
Fast Facts
1. New Year's Eve is December 31
2. Crystal ball drops every year at midnight in Times Square
3. The Rose Bowl is played on New Year's Day Tournament of Roses
4. The Tournament of Roses Parade precedes the Rose BowlTournament of Roses
5. Chinese New Year is between January 21 and February 20
6. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year
New Year's Superstitions and Traditions
The tradition of kissing your sweetheart at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve is meant to ward off coldness in the relationship throughout the coming year.Snopes.com: New Year Superstitions
Families are meant to begin the new year on prosperous footing. In order to ensure wealth and abundance throughout the coming year, it is tradition to fill all the wallets in the household with cash. You will also want to make sure your cupboards are filled with food.Snopes.com: New Year Superstitions
Many households eat foods that are considered lucky on New Year's Day. In the southern United States, the lucky food is black-eyed peas. Other lucky foods include lentils, pork and sauerkraut. On the other hand, it is considered bad luck to eat turkey or chicken, lest you wish to spend the upcoming year scratching in the dirt for food.Snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/holidays/newyears/beliefs.asp New Year Superstitions]
The image of Baby New Year originated in Greece around 600 B.C., and represented the rebirth of the Greek god Dionysus.Wilstar: New Year's Day
Resolutions
The tradition of making New Year's resolutions originated in ancient Rome, with the mythical king Janus. Because Janus had two faces, he could both look ahead to the future and look back on the past. This allowed Janus to evaluate his future, based on his past.The Goals Guy: How to Achieve Your New Year's Resolutions
Some of the more popular resolutions include weight loss, quitting smoking, saving money, stress reduction and getting out of debt. To make sure you achieve your New Year's resolutions, Dr. Jill RachBeisel, M.D., of the University of Maryland Medical Center, recommends setting realistic goals and "breaking things down into small, manageable steps."University of Maryland Medical Center: Where to Begin: Expert Advice on Maintaining Resolutions
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