New Year's Day is the first day of the
year. On the modern
Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on
January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome (though other dates were also used in Rome). In all countries using the Gregorian calendar, except for
Israel, it is a
public holiday, often celebrated with
fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts.
January 1 on the
Julian calendar corresponds to
January 14 on the Gregorian calendar, and it is on that date that followers of some of the
Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate the New Year.
This day is traditionally a religious feast, but since the 1900s has become an occasion for celebration the night of December 31, 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 alcohol, or to lose weight or get physically fit.[1]
Many groups organize Polar Bear Plunges on this day.
