1st January means fresh start and beginning of New Year. So in the present era, most of the countries follow the Gregorian calendar and celebrate the New Year public holiday according to it. 1st January is considered as the 1st day of the year according to Gregorian and Julian calendar. According to Julian calendar and Pre Christian Rome, January day was dedicated to Janus. Janus is known as a god of gateways and beginning and so on his name the month January is named. So January means beginning of the year.
New Year is celebrated all over the world with great fervor and enthusiasm. New Year is the festival when a whole community shares the feeling of happiness together and spread joy everywhere. Youth, as well as children, are very happy on this special day. They dance and enjoy together. All people are very happy so for a moment they forget any kind of sorrows exists in their life. All enjoyed 31st December night with full of energy, People exchange gifts, Greeting cards with each other. There is a lot of crowds in the shops. People enjoy New Year festival with fun and frolic.
There is a lot of New Year celebration programmers telecast on the radio, television on 31st December night to give accord welcome to New Year. All people celebrate on 31st December night and remember all the moments of the last year they enjoyed together. Many countries fireworks on this special day at the stroke the midnight.
In Greece and Cyprus, many families switched off the mobile at midnight and gather together to enjoy New Year eve they together cutting vasilopita which is called as basil pie that includes one coin and equivalent. They represent coin is the symbol of victory for the coming year. After cutting the pie they play together traditional cards.
The Philippines linked New Year with Christmas Holiday they consider New Year as a part of Christmas holiday. People believe that if they fire firecrackers at midnight on 31st December night then all evil spirits and bad luck dispel and the coming year brings good luck and lot of prosperity for all of them.
In Spain, it is the tradition of holding 12 grapes at hand and when the clock strikes at 12, every person eats these grapes on each strike. If all the grapes are eaten within the time period of strikes they feel good luck welcomes him in the coming year.
In Scotland many traditions associated with New Year eve. There is a big party with fervor at Prince Street in Edinburgh. This is one of the best examples of the celebration of New Year eve.
Mostly in some countries, many people gather together on beaches and run into the water to celebrate this New Year. In Canada, the United States, the Republic of Ireland Netherlands the New Year celebration is very popular. Various events are organized on this day for the celebration of New Year. These events are called polar bear plunges. Polar bear plunges mean groups that offer money to charity on this special day.
On New Year Eve, many countries fireworks at midnight. There is a lot of security and watch night services by government authorities on this special day.In newspaper and magazines many articles published by reputed firms and companies. They hope that next year brings a lot of expected changes that they hope last year. In the past on this special day people religious feast together but from since 1900, it becomes an occasion to celebrate the night of 31st December. And this celebration is called new year eve.
These days’ people celebrate the many traditional and religious festivals but they do not know in reality the exact reasons behind the celebration of festivals. Apart from that people only enjoy festivals in many ways such as they wearing expensive clothes, eating many dishes as well as decorative their homes. Youth are more concerned with shopping, exchange of gifts, enjoying meals with friends on this auspicious they consider the only festival as the source of holiday period rather than practicing religion.
To cap it all, in the modern era people celebrate festivals for enjoyment and ignore the importance and value of various festivals so it is a duty of government, parents as well as schools authorities to educate the children by giving proper information regarding festivals.