New Year around the World

Alluring lights line the streets of India, prayers are recited in congregations that swarm the suburban quarters in the Middle East, and ornaments of red are splashed onto homes that crowd Asian soil. These are a few simple intricacies that occur at the dawn of the New Year but read on to discover the many other types of New Year celebrated across the globe.

Ancient New Year

The observation of New Year's Day is the oldest of all holidays. First celebrated in ancient Babylon some 4,000 years ago, the methods and rituals of observing this highly anticipated occasion have continued to diversify until today. The Romans continued to observe the New Year until the modern Gregorian calendar was introduced, which formally recognises 1 January as New Year's Day. Some followers of the Eastern Orthodox churches however, observe 1 January on the Julian calendar as the day of New Year, which corresponds to 14 January on the Gregorian calendar.

New Year Is All Over the Year

New Year's Day is celebrated differently all over the world, and you can practically find that there's a celebration going on in one or other country in the globe every month:

• Rosh Hashanah is known as New Year's Day to the Jews. It is celebrated on various days in September over the next several years, based on the Hebrew calendar.
• The Assyrian New Year, called Rish Nissanu, occurs on 1 April.
• The Nepali New Year is celebrated in Spring, on the first day of the lunar month Baisakh. In the English calender, it usually falls between 12 to 15 April.
• The Thai New Year is celebrated from 13 to 15 April by splashing water.
• The Cambodian New Year is celebrated from 13 to 15 April.
• The Bengali New Year Pohela Baisakh is celebrated on 14 April or 15 April in a festive manner in both Bangladesh and West Bengal, India.
• Some neo-pagans celebrate Samhain (a festival of the ancient Celts, held around November 1) as a New Year's day representing the new cycle of the Wheel of the Year, although they do not use a different calendar that starts on this day.

The Story of New Year's Day

ROSH HASHANAH

Rosh Hashanah is classified as a sacred day to the Jews. Such as the Shabbat, or the Sabbath, it is observed as the day of rest, and activities that are forbidden on the Shabbat are also prohibited on Rosh Hashanah because the Jews believe that the world was created on this day many years ago. Jewish folklore holds true to the fact that the world is being judged for the coming year on this day by God Himself.

VIETNAMESE NEW YEAR

Tet Nguyen Dan, or more commonly known by its shortened name Tet, is the most important and popular holiday and festival in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year, which is based on the Chinese calendar, a lunisolar calendar. The name Tet Nguyen Dan is Sino-Vietnamese for Feast of the First Morning. In modern Chinese, the characters for Nguyen Dan have evolved to refer to New Year in the Gregorian calendar, that is, January 1. Tet is celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year though exceptions arise due to the one-hour time difference between Hanoi and Beijing. It is celebrated from the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar (around late January or early February) until at least the third day.

THAI NEW YEAR

The Thai New Year (Songkran) is celebrated every year on 13 to 15 April. It is also celebrated in Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and by the Dai people in Yunnan, China. Besides the throwing of water, people celebrating Songkran may also go to a wat (Buddhist monastery) to pray and give food to monks. The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by gently touring a small amount of lustral water on ether people's hands or over a shoulder as a sign of respect. The water is meant as a symbol of washing all of the bad away.

IRANIAN NEW YEAR

No Ruz, new day or New Year as the Iranians call it is a celebration of spring Equinox. What we have today as No Ruz with its uniquely Iranian characteristics has been celebrated for at least 3,000 years and is deeply rooted in the traditions of Zoroastrian belief system. Modern Iranians celebrate New Year for 13 days. The first few days are spent visiting older members of the family, other relatives and friends. Gifts are exchanged; sweets and feasts will be consumed. At the last day, the 13th of the first month, all people will leave their homes to go to the parks or rural areas to spend a day in nature.

Rosh Hashanah is the only holiday kept for 48 hours in Israel because it is seen as too holy to be limited to just one day.

The Japanese celebrate New Year's Day on January 1 each year. Oseibo is the most common issue as a year-end gift.

New Year's Moments

According to views of the ancient traditions, the beginning of spring was a fitting time to begin a New Year as it is a season of rebirth, blossoming, and renewal. New Year's Day marks the end of the period of remembrance for a particular passing year and is often celebrated either among few individuals of a family or among bigger congregations in a church or a consortium of other sorts. Collectively, people gather to remember significant events that have happened over the past year and to anticipate changes that are expected to happen in the next. It is also a euphoric occasion to mark individual reflection and contemplation for the past year and over the coming one. Hope your New Year is a good one!