New Year Countdown

New Year's Day on January 1 marks the beginning of a new calendar year under the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used civil calendar in the world. The celebration of a new year is one of the oldest and most universal human traditions — ancient Mesopotamian civilizations held new year festivals as far back as 2000 BC, though they marked the new year at the spring equinox rather than January 1. The Romans were the first to mark January 1 as the new year, dedicating the month to Janus — the two-faced god who looked both backward to the old year and forward to the new. When Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar in 46 BC, he established January 1 as the official start of the new year. The Gregorian calendar adopted by most of the world carried this tradition forward. New Year's Eve festivities around the world culminate in countdown celebrations at midnight. Famous displays include the Sydney Harbour Bridge fireworks (visible to millions and broadcast globally), the Times Square ball drop in New York, the Eiffel Tower light show in Paris, and the fireworks over the Thames in London. In Japan, temples ring bells 108 times at midnight to dispel the 108 earthly desires of Buddhist tradition. In Spain, it is traditional to eat 12 grapes at the 12 strokes of midnight — one for each month of good luck. New Year's resolutions — personal goals set for the coming year — are one of the holiday's most enduring modern customs, with health, finances, and relationships topping the list worldwide.

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