Out with the old and in with the new! We are just days away from one of the most celebrated holidays that transcends the globe: New Year’s Eve. New Years is a time for celebration, parties, food, champagne, resolutions and the ever-important midnight kiss. But how much do you actually know about the holiday itself? Fear not, you soon shall as we bring you ten fun facts and trivia about the final day of the calendar year.
1. Hail Caesar! The First Ever New Year’s Celebration was over 4,000 Years Ago
It was Julius Caesar, the Emperor of Rome who first made January (Janus) of the calendar year a national Holiday. Janus is the name of the Roman god of doors and gates. Janus had two faces, one that looked forward and one that looked back. Caesar believed that this was fitting for the day. Originally, the ancient Romans used March 1st as New Year’s Day. In 1582, the Roman Catholic Church officially adopted January 1st as the New Year.
2. The famous Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball Drop first started in 1907
The first official celebration occurred in 1904 and included fireworks to celebrate the New York Times new headquarters at Times Square. Three years later, they dropped a 700-pound ball that was five feet in diameter and surrounded by 100 twenty-five-watt bulbs made of iron and wood. The ball dropped every year thereafter except for 1942 and 1943 when the ball drop was suspended due to World War II. Today, the ball weighs 11,875 pounds, is twelve feet in diameter and has over 2,668 Waterford crystals attached to it.
3. Stuff Your Bellies with Black Eyed Peas and Leafy Greens
According to New Year’s Eve lore, leafy greens and legumes bring prosperity for the New Year. Tradition says that beans and peas look like coins and therefore represent money, and a fortuitous year ahead. Lobsters and chickens are considered bad luck to eat on New Year’s Eve as they can move and scratch in reverse. Did you know that more black eyed peas are consumed on January 1st than any other day of the year? Where’s Will.I.Am. and Fergie when you need them?
4. “Time Goes By” for Auld Lang Syne
The most famous song on New Year’s Eve is not Madonna, Taylor Swift or the artist formerly known as Prince, but the Robert Burns classic, Auld Lang Syne. Burns was a Scottish poet who wrote the song in 1788, it means “Time Goes By.” It is traditionally sung as soon as the clock strikes midnight and is usually a good indicator that it will soon be time to leave the party you’re at. Quick, can you sing the words to Auld Lang Syne?
5. Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer
Another New Year’s tradition seems like a pretty basic principle of the holiday itself: surround yourself with friends, family and loved ones. The people you ring in the New Year with will set the tone for the next 365 days and those people will either bring you good luck or bad. So if you are with your significant other, you better kiss them or chances are you’re headed for break up in 2015.
6. Latin American Celebrations
In Central America including countries like Colombia, Cuba and Puerto Rico, families traditionally stuff a large doll that they name “Mr. Old Year”. The doll represents all the bad memories from the past year. When the clock strikes midnight, they light the doll on fire and burn away those bad memories from the past year. So if you see Sofia Vergara tonight at a party with a large doll ablaze do not panic, it’s just part of her culture.
7. Hot Water Burn Baby
Just like it wouldn’t be Christmas without Santa Claus; it wouldn’t be New Year without the legendary “Baby New Year.” The symbol of the holiday is usually adorned by a baby wearing a diaper, a black top hat and a sash that embroiders the numbers of the New Year. The legend of “Baby New Year” began in 600 B.C. in Ancient Greece where Greek mythology states that he will go from baby to geriatric patient by the end of the year.
8. Champagne for My Real Friends, Real Pain for My Sham Friends
The unofficial drink of New Years Eve is the bubbly French creation, champagne. Champagne is a sparkling wine that goes great with orange juice. The “bubbly” dates back to the 17th century where winemakers discovered that if you put a cork in a bottle of champagne, shake it up, it will pop off the top and make an incredible sound that will become synonymous with celebrations for eternity. According to the food and beverage association, Americans will drink over 360 million glasses of champagne tonight.
9. Hide Your Cars; Hide Your Wife, Because They’re Robbing Everybody Out Here!
Keep your car locked up tonight as the National Insurance Crime Bureau revealed that New Year’s Eve is the day that more cars are stolen in the United States than any other day of the year. Make sure to park in a populated area tonight and take your keys with you. Unless you drive a 1994 Honda Accord. If you do, you might as well just leave your car unlocked with the keys on the driver’s seat. The 1994 Honda Accord is the most stolen car on New Year’s Eve, more than any other vehicle.
10. It’s Almost Midnight, What Are You Going To Do Next? I’m going To Disneyland!
The top three most visited destinations to travel in the United States for New Year’s Eve are: New York City (obviously), Las Vegas and Walt Disney World. Globally, Sydney, Australia is the destination of choice as you can see over 80,000 fireworks go off over the famed Sydney Opera House. Australia is nearly 14 hours ahead of us, so watch the celebration live here and then celebrate with Mickey and friends!
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