New Years celebrations and traditions (greaterseattleonthecheap.com)

Today, many people around the world celebrate New Year’s Eve every December 31 and New Year’s Day on January 1. The date January 1 comes from traditions in the Roman empire. The solar calendar first month (January) honored Janus, the god of beginnings.

As the saying goes, every day is essentially the start of a new year and the rest of your life. So, any day can be a time to celebrate with friends, to reflect on the past, and look forward to what comes next. The date January 1 is truly arbitrary. Other cultures celebrate the start of a New Year at other times.

Lunar New Year begins at the first New Moon in the Chinese luni-solar calendar and marks the beginning of spring. The date shifts each year but occurs sometime in late January or early February. Celebrated by many cultures, it is known as Spring Festival in China, Tết in Vietnam, and Seollal in Korea. Read more about Chinese New Year on our Lunar New Year event page.
Rosh Hashanah (“Jewish New Year”) is based on the Jewish luni-solar calendar, which puts the 2-day observance sometime in September or October. In Jewish tradition, a new day does not begin at midnight. Rather, each day begins at sundown and ends at sunrise. Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holy Days, followed a week later by the equally solemn Yom Kippur (“Day of Atonement”).
The Islamic New Year occurs on the first day of Muharram, the first month in the Lunar Hijri calendar, used by a majority of Muslims today. The Islamic calendar is not based on astronomical seasons, so the Islamic year consistently falls about 11 days short of the solar year. Therefore, the date of New Year shifts every year. Like the Jewish observance, the Islamic New Year is somber and a sacred time for prayer and reflection.

How is New Year’s celebrated?

December 31st New Year’s Eve celebrations include parties, drinking champagne, counting down to midnight, kissing someone at midnight, and fireworks. Many people also use the start of a New Year for reflection and to make resolutions or goals for coming year. Popular goals include those to change bad habits or improve one or more aspects of life such as lose weight, change jobs, or get organized.

The NYE New York City “ball drop” in Times Square draws over one million people who begin to gather around 4PM on New Year’s Eve. At 11:59 PM, a mirrored ball descends from the One Times Square building reaching the base at midnight. As the ball descends, the crowd chants the countdown: “10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1” ending with “HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!”.

New Years Day, January 1st is celebrated in different ways. For some, it is a great day for watching college football bowl games with friends, family, and of course celebrating with lots of food! Other New Year’s Day traditions include “Polar Bear Dips”—a brief swim in icy waters. Still others take to the outdoors for a New Year’s “First Day” hike to enjoy nature. Two places in the central Pacific Ocean on each side of the International Dateline are the first and last to greet the New Year:

The first country to greet the new year is Kiribati (britannica.com), an independent island nation in the Central Pacific. The island chain extends nearly 2,000 miles west to east and straddles both the Equator and the International Dateline (roughly the 180th meridian north to south. Kiribati (pronounced “Ki-ri-bas”) includes three island groups: the western Gilbert Islands (where most of the people live), the central Phoenix group (which have no permanent inhabitants), and the eastern Line Islands.
The last place to bring in the new year is Baker Island, approximately 600 miles to the northwest of Kiribati. The uninhabited atoll is a U.S. National Wildlife refuge. Only the birds are there to mark the occasion.

Two places in the central Pacific Ocean are the first and last to greet the New Year. The island of Kiribati | Britannica (about 1800 miles southwest of Hawaii) is an independent nation of over 100,000 people and the first to ring in the New Year. Baker Island, an uninhabited atoll less than 600 miles to the northwest of Kiribati, is the last—as a U.S. National Wildlife refuge, only the birds are there to mark the occasion.

New Year traditions

Here are some other common aspects of New Year’s celebrations:

Father Time and Baby New Year. Two common images of the New Year are the bearded “Father Time” and “Baby New Year.” Father Time is apparently based on the Greek God Chronos. He’s carrying a harvesting scythe and a lantern–but the stories surrounding the meaning are murky at best. Baby New Year is usually adorned with a sash bearing the date of the New Year. Nobody knows when this kid started showing up.

Football games. For sports enthusiasts, New Year’s Day is celebrated by watching college football bowl games—often with friends, family, and of course lots of food!

Nature and reflection. Many people eschew parties and turn to nature and quite reflections. “Polar Bear Dips”—a short swim in icy waters are a popular tradition in colder climates, including the Puget Sound region. “First Day Hikes” are popular with outdoor enthusiasts who celebrate a New Year by enjoying nature.

Resolutions. Many people use the time for reflection and to make New Year’s Resolutions or goals for coming year. Popular goals include those to change bad habits or improve aspects of one’s life such as lose weight, change jobs, or get organized.

Singing Auld Lang Syne. A Scottish poem set to music became “Auld Lang Syne”. The song is often played at the stroke of midnight. The meaning of the poem roughly translates to “times gone by.” The following YouTube video, sung by Dougie MacLean is a lovely rendition and includes some translation of the Scottish:

Movies. Many people prefer to stay in on New Years and watching theme movies are a tradition for many. In the following list, we aimed for at least a couple of movies from every decade in the last century.

List of New Year Movies 1925-2020

Our New Year movie suggestions below are listed in order by year. Most can be streamed or perhaps found on disc (though these are vanishing). Movies featuring New Year’s Eve scenes include the following chick flicks and beloved classic movies, as well as a few grim tales. Consider your audience and do your due diligence before selecting something to watch.

The Gold Rush (1925)
After the Thin Man (1936)
Bachelor Mother (1939) or it’s remake Bundle of Joy (1956)
Junior Miss (1945)
It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)
The Passionate Friends (1949)
Sunset Boulevard (PG, 1950)
An American in Paris (NR, 1951)
An Affair to Remember (G, 1957), or it’s remake Love Affair (PG-13, 1994)
The Apartment (PG, 1960)
Ocean’s 11 (NR, 1960) or it’s remake Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
The Poseidon Adventure (PG, 1972), considered to be better than its remake Poseidon (PG-13, 2006)
Godfather II (R, 1974)
Diner (R, 1982)
Trading Places (R, 1983)
Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! (G, 1986)
When Harry Met Sally (R, 1989)
Bitter Moon (R, 1992)
Sleepless in Seattle (PG, 1993)
Waiting to Exhale (R, 1995)
Boogie Nights (R, 1997)
Bridget Jones’s Diary (R, 2001)
Better Luck Tomorrow (R, 2002)
Rent (PG-13, 2005)
The Holiday (PG-13, 2006) or Last Holiday (PG-13, 2006)
High School Musical (G, 2006)
Two Lovers (R, 2008)
New Year’s Eve (PG-13, 2011)
Fruitvale Station (R, 2013)
Inside Out (PG, 2015)
Avengers: Infinity War (PG-13, 2018)
Soul (PG, 2020)