New Year's Day

New Year's Day History

New Year's Day, recognized globally as the start of a new calendar year, is often celebrated with anticipation, optimism, and reflection. It embodies a pristine blank slate, symbolically encouraging individuals to bid farewell to past setbacks and aspire for fresh starts and new goals. New Year's Day has a multifaceted significance in American society, leveraging its unique cultural, social, and personal context. The observance is distinguished by hearty festive meals, fireworks, parades, football games, and resolutions, reflecting America's exuberant spirit.

New Year's unveiling on January 1st is a relatively modern phenomenon tracing its roots back to 1752 when the Gregorian calendar was adopted in England and its colonies, including America. Before this, different societies marked their new year' at other times. The celebration in America possesses special features like the Rose Parade and the football Rose Bowl game. Besides, New Year's resolutions play a pivotal role, where Americans commit to self-improvement goals ranging from fitness and health to personal growth and charitable objectives.

In America, New Year's Day is perceived as a federal holiday, allowing people to pause their regular routines and engage in festive enjoyment. This day begins with social gatherings, often extending from the night of the previous year. Many participate in special activities such as the Polar Bear Plunge - a tradition of people plunging into frigid waters. Americans also watch the famous 'ball drop' in New York's Times Square. As the ball descends, they count down the last seconds of the old year to proudly enter the new. Falling on January 1st, New Year's Day, gives Americans a whole new year to write their future chapters.

Facts about New Year's Day

• Worldwide Baby New Year is the most common symbol associated with this holiday. He is a toddler dressed in a diaper, hat, and sash bearing the numbers of the new year. The myth states that he matures into an old man during the course of the year. On December 31st, he hands his hat and sash to the new Baby New Year.
• In the early Roman calendar, New Year was celebrated on March 1st. The new celebration of New Year on January 1st started in Rome in 153 BC. The New Year was moved to January because it was a month when two newly elected Roman consuls began their tenure, which reflected the beginning of civil year.
• A traditional New Year's Day meal in Mexico often includes bacalao, a dish made from dried cod, and menudo, a soup said to cure hangovers, making it a popular choice after New Year's Eve celebrations.
• The color of underwear worn on New Year's Eve is believed to influence the kind of year the wearer will have. Red is said to bring love, yellow brings money, and white brings peace.

In the News and Trending in Mexico for New Year's Day

Top things to do in Mexico for New Year's Day

• Make new resolutions for the upcoming year and let go of what happened in the previous one.
• Attend the largest New Year’s Day celebration in Mexico at the Zócalo. It is located in the main square in central Mexico City.
• Eat 12 grapes at midnight, making a wish for each grape for the coming year.