New Year

The New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next year. Cultures that measure yearly calendars all have New Year celebrations. New Year's Day also the first day of the calendar year. People in almost every country celebrate this day as a holiday. The celebrations are both festive and serious. Many people make New Year's resolutions to break bad habits or to start good ones. Some think about how they have lived during the past year and look forward to the next 12 months. Early customs. Many ancient peoples started the year at harvest time. They performed rituals to do away with the past and purify themselves for the new year. For example, some people put out the fires they were using and started new ones.
January 1st s the end of a period of remembrance of a particular passing year, especially on radio, television, and in newspapers, which usually starts right after Christmas Day Publications often have year-end articles that review the changes during the previous year. Common topics include politics, natural, music and the arts, and the listing of significant individuals who died during the past year. Often there are also articles on planned or expected changes in the coming year, such as the description of new laws that often take effect on January 1st.This day is traditionally a religious feast, but since the 1900s has become an occasion for celebration the night of December 31st, called New Year's Eve. There are often fireworks at midnight. Depending on the country, individuals may be allowed to burn fireworks, even if it is forbidden the rest of the year. It is also a memorable occasion to make New Year's resolutions, which they hope to fulfill in the coming year; the most popular ones in the western world include to stop tobacco smoking or drinking, or to lose weight or get physically fit.

Reference : Annie's new years page