There are places where the baby is used to symbolize the New Year but this tradition is very controversial. This tradition has its origins in the Egyptian culture that used a baby to symbolize the New Year. Despite the controversies, the baby is still a symbol of the New Year’s Eve just that nowadays, is traditionally a diapered boy with a sash labeled with the number of the upcoming year he represents.

This is an ancient European custom for the New Year which is still kept in many areas. It is said that I best that the first person who enters your home after midnight should be a man with dark hair. He should carry a gift to bring happiness and must been someone who has not been inside the house before midnight.

Irish people say that they can predict the political future of the country by which way the wind blows at midnight. To have a fortunate year, the wind must blow from the west and mistletoe can ward off bad luck. Another tradition involves pounding on the doors and windows of the house with bread to chase out evil spirits.

Some of the most Lavish New Year’s Parties are hold in Madeira, a Portuguese island. In 2009, 12000000 Euros have been spent to ensure that they have the most spectacular party. Other places with Lavish New Year Parties are held in Rio de Janeiro, Sydney harbor, and, of course, New York City.

This is the oldest holiday. The Babylonians started celebrating the New Year’s Eve as early as 4000 B.C which began on the first new moon after the Vernal Equinox and lasted for 11 days. During this holiday they would strip their king of all of his power and put him go through a ritual of humiliation.

Some of the most glamorous parties to celebrate New Year occur in Austria. They hold an Imperial Ball where dancers have to wear white gowns and black jackets. They decorate their tables with candy pigs and dance “The Blue Danube” at midnight.

The Chinese celebrate New Year on the second new moon after the winter solstice. They use firecrackers and noisemakers to chase away evil spirits and the fabulous dragon and lion will dance in the streets. People wear red and offer tangerines for good luck.

In Japan, they prepare a full week for the New Year. They do a general house cleaning so that the evils can no longer linger and must pay all their debts. They ring 108 bells to symbolize the elimination of troubles. After the New Year’s Eve, people write their resolutions for the New Year.

For the African Americans, this day has a special significance and is often called Emancipation Day or Jubilee Day. The Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves from bondage, was read in Boston on January 1st 1863. The celebration, Kwanzaa, continues over seven days starting December 26, so the New Year’s celebration is often part of Kwanzaa’s way of reconnecting people with their African roots. Kwanzaa began in the United States in the 1960s, and is not celebrated in Africa.

This is the most familiar song to which no one knows the lyrics. The song became an instant standard in 1929 when Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians played it on New Year’s Eve, broadcasting from the Waldorf Astoria in New York City and it means, “Old Long Time.”