New Year ’ s Day By : Chanachon “ Nam ” Boonphakdee
New Year ’ s Day By : Chanachon “ Nam ” Boonphakdee
We all know that January 1 st every year is the time to celebrate the arrival of a new year . A time to forget the old , and embrace the new . Yet there may be a few things about this wonderful time of the year that may surprise you . Here are 10 facts about New Year ’ s Day : Fun fact # 1 : January 1 st was first celebrated as the date of a brand new year back in 45 B . C . in the time of the Roman Empire / Republic in accordance to the Julian calendar . However , Julius Caesar redesigned the calendar in order to correspond to the seasons . Later , Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar ( the one still in use today ) in order to right minor discrepancies in the Julius calendar ( one of which is making sure that the New Year lands directly on January first ). Fun fact # 2 : New Year ’ s Day is traditionally observed with a feast . But since the early 1900s , it has become a day where everyone gathers around and watch firework displays ( with a particularly big display held every year at Sydney , Australia ). Some however , celebrate by holding a watch night service , a strictly Christian tradition where participants review the past year , give confessions , praying , and preaching . Fun fact # 3 : Different places in the world celebrate New Year ’ s differently . In China , house doors ( and walls ) are painted red because it is believed that red attracts good luck . In England , it is believed that the first ( male ) house guest of the year will bring good luck to them . Said guest should enter the front house bringing foodstuffs and coal to light the fire . If he doesn ’ t , he shouldn ’ t be allowed to enter . In Denmark , people throw their old dishes at their friends ’ doors ( the amount of broken dishes at your house indicates the amount of friends you have ) and jump on chairs when New Year ’ s Day comes around . Fun fact # 4 : Some places in the world have their own New Year ’ s . In Thailand ( where I ’ m from ), the traditional New Year ’ s lands mid-April , and is known as Songkran . The event is usually marked with throwing water at each other to indicate happiness and to cool off from a hot summer . In Sri Lanka , New Year ’ s Day also lands in mid-April and is called Aluth Avurudhu . Festivities include house cleaning ( yes , it is considered a festivity ), herbal bathing , and making exotic dishes . Fun fact # 5 : The tradition of fireworks and firecrackers being used on New Year ’ s stem from the belief that very loud sounds will scare any bad luck and spirits away . Fun fact # 6 : The tradition of kissing during the year change wasn ’ t a recent invention , contrary to popular belief . No one really knows when this tradition came about , but it is worth noting that in old English and German folklore , this can set the tone for the following year . Fun fact # 7 : Black-eyed peas , ham , and cabbage are considered good luck if you eat them on New Year ’ s Day . Chicken and lobster , however , are considered bad luck . This is because chickens scratch themselves backwards and lobsters can walk backwards . Both are considered “ bad luck foods ” because they can reverse your good fortune for the worse . Fun fact # 8 : Due to the banning of fireworks , the New Year ’ s Ball in Times Square New York was invented back in 1907 . The first ball weighed 700 pounds and was lit by 100 25-watt lights . Nowadays , the ball weighs 11,875 pounds , is lit by 32000 LED lights , and measures 12 feet in diameter . Over 1 million people gather at Times Square to see the ball drop every year . Fun fact # 9 : Okay , not really a “ fun ” fact , but a fact nonetheless- according to statistics by the National Insurance Crime Bureau , during the New Year ’ s celebration cars have the highest chance of being stolen . So uh ….. keep your keys and cars safe ! Fun fact # 10 : In a recent survey of questionable origin , 45 percent of all Americans make New Year ’ s resolutions . Out of that 45 percent , only 25 percent of them gave up their resolutions by the second week of January . We ’ ll leave it up to you to decide if you trust those numbers !
Get more time to myself – Siarah Willenberg
Read more books for fun . – Mrs . Susan Poland ( 7-12 Counselor )
Spend more time with people that matter and take out people that don ’ t . – Marrisa Zentz
Do more adventurous things . – Emilee Sweley ( LPS Alumnus )
Keep being awesome & get better at shooting . – Mrs . Nikia Hunt ( 7-12 Teacher )
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