New Year Wishes

'New Year' is an event that takes place when the world celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system today, the first day of January is often considered a national holiday across the globe. However, in some countries like China, the first day of the year is celebrated according to their own calendar.

In many cities across the world, fireworks displays take place as soon as the clock strikes midnight on the last day of the year (December 31).

Out with the old, in with the new,

The new year is a perfect time to make a change for the better. The tradition of making New Year's resolutions is more common in the western hemisphere but also exists in the eastern hemisphere. This tradition involves a person making a commitment to change an unwanted habit or behaviour or setting a personal objective. Typical New Year's resolutions might be to give up smoking, eat healthier food, do more exercise, become more organised or laugh more – but really, a New Year's resolution can be almost anything. However, research suggests that many New Year's resolutions fail. Being realistic about the objectives you set and not making too many New Year's resolutions might help you to achieve success.

New Year's History

Civilizations around the world have been celebrating the beginning of each new year for decades. The city of Babylon in ancient Mesopotamia was where the first New Year's celebrations took place about 4,000 years ago. New year's day is considered to have a Romanian origin.

The Roman king Numa Pompilius, during his reign (c. 715–673 BCE), revised the Roman republican calendar so that January replaced March as the first month. In 46 BCE Julius Caesar introduced more changes, though the Julian calendar, as it became known, retained January 1 as the year’s opening date.

In some cultures, New Year's Day coincided with the Annunciation of Jesus. In England, the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25, was the first day of the new year until the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1752. It is also believed that the tradition of exchanging gifts on New Year's Day originated in the 7th century. Over time non-Christian countries also began to use the Gregorian calendar. China (1912) is a notable example, though it continued to celebrate the Chinese New Year according to a lunar calendar. In fact, many countries that follow the Gregorian calendar also have other traditional or religious calendars. Some nations never adopted the Gregorian calendar and thus started the year on dates other than January 1.

Which country celebrates New Year first?

The New Year is celebrated first in Oceania, and the event is first observed in the tiny Pacific island nations of Tonga, Samoa, and Kiribati. New Zealand follows next in celebrating the New Year, followed by Australia, Japan, and South Korea, while the last place to celebrate New Year is Bakers Island which lies in the central Pacific Ocean.

New Year Celebration:

People greet and wish each other a Happy New Year. Exchanging messages, greeting cards and gifts is part of the New Year celebration. The media covers many New Year events which are showcased on prime channels for most of the day. People who decide to stay indoors resort to these New Year shows for entertainment and fun. The age-old tradition of planning new resolutions for the coming year is a common sight. A few of the most popular resolutions include losing weight, developing good habits, and working hard.