To many people, Christmas is the biggest festivity of the
year. However, close to its heels comes an even bigger festivity
for millions of people, the celebration of New Year.
New Year is celebrated in much the same way in different
countries. People enjoy some good food, wine, and champagne,
and when the clock ticks close to midnight, they meet up with
friends and family outside and set off New Year’s fireworks
up in the sky.
If you play host for a New Year’s party, it is always
a good idea to make it extra colorful. That is most easily
done by thinking in themes. Here are some excellent themes
for a Happy New Year:
1. James Bond-theme: The men must wear a
suit or white tie and the women must dress as James Bond babes.
Obviously, the main drink of the evening is Vodka Martini
(shaken, not stirred), and dinner includes stuffed (quails)
eggs with caviar.
2. Bad taste party: You are allowed to be
a bit unrestrained on New Year’s Eve, so why not try
a bad taste party. Think about all the worst stuff you know
when organizing a party: maybe 80’s clothes, country
western music, Pisang Ambon drinks, and Tofu Dogs.
3. Las Vegas theme: Decorate with mirrors
and flashing lights. Ask a couple of friends to play the roles
of drinks girls and set the table for Craps, Black Jack, and
Texas Hold’em Poker. If you want to go all the way through
with the theme, you should also hire professional dealers.
4. Dinner for one theme: In many European
countries, it is a tradition for TV stations to show the short
movie, ”Dinner for One” on New Year’s Eve.
“Dinner for One” or ”The 90th Birthday”
as it is also called has been included in the Guinness Book
of Records as the most frequently repeated TV production in
the world. If your guests are familiar with “Dinner
for One”, it might be a great idea to turn this TV show
into a theme for your party. There must be curry soup, haddock,
chicken, and fruit salad. Of course, the guests shall go under
the names: Miss Sophie, Sir Toby, Admiral von Schneider, Mr.
Pomeroy, Mr. Winterbottom, and James.
New year
Most countries in the world use the so-called Gregorian
calendar, which celebrates New Year for all cultures on
December 31 at 12:00 midnight.
The Gregorian calendar came into existence in 1582 and
was introduced in different countries with several hundred
years interval. Over time, it determined January 1 as the
civil New Year’s Day.
Concurrent with the Gregorian calendar, some cultures use
different calendars and celebrate New Year on other dates.
The ecclesiastical New Year’s Day, for example, falls
on the 1st Sunday of Advent. In 1622, the papal authorities
joined the decision that the year starts on January 1, before
that year, it had been celebrated on March 25.
The Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year,
occurs every year on the new moon of the first lunar month.
The Gregorian New Year (and all other days) first arrives
each year on Kiritimati (Christmas Island), the eastern-most
island in the island nation of Kiribati in the central Pacific
Ocean.
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Did you know that…
The first rooftop celebration atop One Times Square,
complete with a fireworks display, took place in 1904.
"Auld
Lang Syne" is sung at the stroke of midnight
in almost every English-speaking country in the world
to usher in the New Year. It was first published in
1796.
The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all
holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon
about 4,000 years ago.
The world's biggest and most famous fireworks display
occurs in the also famous Copacabana beach in Rio
de Janeiro, drawing 1.5 - 2.5 million people to the
beach.
The first rooftop celebration atop One Times Square,
complete with a fireworks display, took place in 1904.
