New Years Eve

New Years Eve is the celebration that ushers in the New Year. People all over the world gather together at parties to countdown the final minutes of the old year together. To learn more about the traditions associated with New Years Eve, check out the links on this page.

In a recent article, CNN named several New Year's Eve hotspots which included Bangkok, Berlin and Hong Kong to name a few. While every country's traditions are influenced by the regional customs and flavor, fireworks and timed dropping balls appear in nearly every country's New Year's Eve festivities.CNN: World's Best New Year's Eve Parties

It's a common practice in many towns to drop some kind of sign while counting down the final seconds of the old year. Here is a list of some of the strangest things dropped:

1. Keywest, Florida—Conch shell
2. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania—Marshmallow peep
3. Port Clinton, Ohio—Walleye fish
4. Mount Olive, North Carolina—30 foot pickle
5. Elmore, Ohio—18 foot sausage
6. Lebanon, Pennsylvania—7 foot bologna
7. New Orleans, Louisiana—Gumbo pot
8. Easton, Maryland—Crab
9. Plymouth, Wisconsin—Cheese
10. Raleigh, North Carolina—Acorn

• MSNBC: New Year's Steals and Deals in Las Vegas (December 30, 2008)

• The Arizona Republic: Restaurateurs Hope New Year's Eve Festivities Bing in Patrons (December 30, 2008)

• MSNBC: CTA Offers Penny Rides for New Year's Eve (December 30, 2008)

• Mercury News: Plenty of tickets still available for New Year's Eve (December 29, 2008)

• Reuters: Top 10 Quirky New Year's Eve Drops (December 29, 2008)

• Examiner: Confetti Resolutions in Times Square this New Year's Eve (December 29, 2008)

• Seattle Post Intelligencer: New Year's Eve "Kiss Cam" Will Benefit Charity (December 29, 2008)