Whether you’re celebrating in New York City or Nashville, Tennessee, New Year’s Eve follows a pretty similar script: People dress up in their best duds, break out the bubbly and sing "Auld Lang Syne" at the stroke of midnight. If it’s a particularly rowdy party, some things may explode.
But how exactly did these traditions arise?
Many of these rituals have ancient roots and are similar around the world. It turns out that many are designed to ward off evil spirits as we enter the darkest time of the year, said Anthony Aveni, an astronomer and anthropologist at Colgate University in New York .
From popping open a bottle of champagne to watching the ball drop in Times Square, here are the roots of some New Year’s Eve traditions.
• Kissing, in this context, was thought to bring good luck as people entered the vulnerable, transitional period of the new year.
• Popping champagne corks at the stroke of midnight
• Another classic tradition is to sing "Auld Lang Syne," a Scottish poem that was recorded on paper officially in 1788
• At the stroke of midnight, revelers in Times Square will watch the giant ball drop in New York City
• Messing up and promising to do better next time may be a uniquely human instinct that has no season, but making New Year’s resolutions dates back at least to the time of the ancient Mesopotamians
• Letting sparks fly. From China to Australia, people ring in the new year with noisemakers, sparklers and fireworks. But how did the tradition of ringing in the new year with a flash of light and a bang start?
In cultures around the world, people bang drums, light firecrackers and even beat the corners of their room to spook the spooky creatures lurking in the night.
"Anything to chase away the evil spirits"
Fireworks were invented in the seventh century A.D. in China, and one of the express purposes of fireworks was to ward off evil spirits. From the beginning, the Chinese New Year was a reliable time to see the sparkling displays. Yet the tradition of setting off fireworks in the Western world seems to have evolved independently.
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Washington DC
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| New York City, drop of the ball |
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