New Year Celebrations in India & its History
New Year is considered to be one of the oldest festivals in the world. Around 2000 B.C. in Babylon, it was supposed to have been celebrated first. Babylonians celebrated it to welcome the first New Moon after Vernal Equinox- first day of spring. It is celebrated on January 1st, the first day of the Gregorian calendar. When Romans celebrated the New Year in the beginning of the millennium, the Church did not follow it. But, with the passage of time, Christianity embraced New Year festival. Catholic churches now commemorate New Year as the Feast of Christ's Circumcision, and some others observe it as the Feast of Mary.
Many believe New Year’s day to be a trendsetter for the remaining part of the whole year. So people celebrate the first few minutes of a new year along with their closest family members and friends. That is why resolutions are observed from the first of January. New Year celebrations begin on 31st evening with a party which goes on until the clock strikes 12, when the new year is greeted by loud cries of ‘happy new year’. These days the parties go on until the wee hours of the morning. Grecians paraded babies by carrying them in a basket. They commemorated it in honor of Dionysius, the God of Wine. Now the Gregorian New Year is being celebrated universally. Throughout the world, people irrespective of religion, language and creed start things afresh from that day.
New Year’s Eve is the most eagerly awaited day for partying people the world over. Of course, one cannot discount the seriousness of some people who make resolutions for the year to come. It is also the time to gift diaries and sweets, hike salaries, take new decisions etc. in offices.
Many people believe that events on January 1st are an indicator of the following year’s events. That is the reason, most people prefer to spend the eve and that day with their families, lovers and best pals. People also look at it as a day when they expect their fortunes to alter radically.
But superstitions apart, the whole world have embraced Gregorian calendar. And, January 1st happens to be the first day of that calendar. So many a transactions is expedited by December 31st. People in the western counties, in fact, take a vacation beginning from Christmas, which lasts until January 2nd. It is a way of taking a break from the monotonous humdrum of life once a year. It also helps them to rejuvenate after a holiday and start working afresh.
So as for as December 31st is concerned, it is party time not only for the young, but the old alike. Relatives and friends who may not have been in touch for quite some time meet each other. Sometimes, enemies also bury the hatchet by forgiving each other on this day. Therefore, even if there is no religious origin to it, this is undoubtedly one of the most special days of the year. To sum it up, whether one likes it or not, nobody can ignore January 1st or the New Year’s Day.