
New Year Facts 1
~ The earliest known New Year celebrations were in Mesopotamia and date back to 2000 BC.
~ January is named after Janus, the god with two faces, one facing forward and one looking backward.
~ Ancient Persians gave New Year’s gifts of eggs, which symbolized productiveness.
~ Auld Lang Syne (“Times Gone By”) is traditionally sung at midnight on New Year’s Eve. It was written by Scottish poet, Robert Burns in 1788.
~ The first ball dropping celebration in Times Square was held on December 31, 1907.
~ In 1942 and 1943, the ball lowering was suspended due to the wartime dimout. Crowds still gathered in Times Square but celebrated with a minute of silence followed by chimes ringing.
~ The original New Year’s Eve ball weighed 700 pounds and was five feet in diameter. It was made of iron and wood and was decorated with 100 25-watt light bulbs.