From early Babylonians to present-day Americans, people have been celebrating the beginning of every New Year for almost four thousand years!1 Here are a few ways people celebrate the holiday in the United States:2
- 61 percent of American adults say a prayer on New Year’s Eve
- 44 percent plan to kiss someone at midnight
- 22 percent fall asleep before the New Year arrives
- 45 percent make resolutions to lose weight, spend less, save more, etc.
- 73 percent keep their resolutions for less than two days
One million people gather in Times Square and 2,000 pounds of confetti fall on their heads. One billion people around the world watch festivities on television. Ushering in the New Year is a momentous event.2
In the United States, we usher in the New Year with champagne, Auld Lang Syne, and a midnight kiss to ensure that our affections will last throughout the year. Not everybody celebrates the way we do, though.
- In England, the first person to cross your threshold in the New Year is your First Footer, or Lucky Bird, and will determine what kind of luck you’ll have throughout the year.
- In India, Hindus celebrate the New Year four times each year to welcome each of the four seasons. During Diwali, children light mustard oil lamps to attract the Goddess of Fortune to their homes.
- In France, the celebration lasts for a month. Friends exchange cards and enjoy Papillottes – chocolates or candies with wrappers that pop like firecrackers when they are opened.
- In Denmark, people save china dishes to break on friends’ thresholds during the New Year. A pile of broken dishes outside your home on New Year’s Day is a good sign, showing that you have many friends.
If you have any momentous events in your life, please let us know. We want you to be secure financially as momentous changes can alter financial plans.
We wish you a Happy New Year!