"Auld Lang Syne" was written by Robert Burns in 1741 and literally means "old long since," or "days gone by." This song is traditionally sung in many countries at midnight, January 1st, signaling the beginning of the New Year.
"Syne" is pronounced like the word "sign," not "zyne."
Some cultures believe various foods bring good luck and prosperity if eaten on New Year's Day. Some examples are:
- Donuts (Dutch Oliebollen pictured right)
- Black-eyed peas and other legumes
- Cabbage
- Hog's meat
- Rice
Making New Year's resolutions dates back to the Babylonians.
The Tournament of Roses Parade started in 1890 which celebrated blossoming California orange crops.
The first post-Rose Parade college football game was in 1902 between Stanford University and University of Michigan. Michigan won with a score of 49-0.
The Chinese New Year, a very important Chinese holiday, begins on the new moon of the first lunar month, usually between January 21 and February 21. February 7, 2008 is the first day of the Chinese New Year.
Each year is symbolized by one of 12 animals. 2008 is the Year of the Rat, also known as "Wu Zhi."
1907 - New York's famous ball drops for the first time from Times Square on New Year's Eve. It was a five foot ball made out of wood and iron, weighed 700 lbs, and included 100 25-watt bulbs.
Today, the ball is a 6-foot globe made out of Waterford crystal and weighs 1,070 lbs. It contains 9,576 LEDs (light emitting diodes) and uses relatively little energy (as much as about 10 toasters). Its decent starts at 11:59 PM and reaches the bottom at the stroke of midnight. The ball is sometimes referred to as the "Big Apple."
The ball has been dropped every year, except in 1942 and 1943 due to wartime lighting restrictions.
Relive that last minute before midnight again and get a view of the 2008 New Year's ball:
Sources: Wilstar.com, Chinese New Year, Tournament of Roses History, New Year's Eve Ball
Photo credits: Hiden84 , susankers, m constant
Related Posts -
Free 90-Day Gym Membership I've got in my hot little hand a 24-Hour Fitness gift card to give away, and it would allow free access to participating gyms. Not too shabby, I must say! To be more specific, the free gym access comes in the form of one $99 gift card that gives you...... - Zumba - My First Experience I took my first Zumba class the other day. What is Zumba, you ask? My definition of Zumba is that it is a mixture of Latin moves, hip-hop, and a touch of belly dancing. For a more formal definition, check out the Wikipedia site. The Zumba exercises were more low-impact,......
-
Fun Facts about Chocolate "Chocolate" comes from the Aztec word, "xocolatl," which means "bitter water." Europe was introduced to chocolate when Christopher Columbus brought back cocoa beans from the Caribbean islands from his 1502 voyage. Switzerland is one of the top countries when it comes to chocolate consumption. The Swiss eat roughly 22 lbs...... -
Snow Storm of the Year! Well, Saturday was fun! We had a blizzard here with continuous snow fall from early early morning until late afternoon. My husband and I didn't even consider venturing outside! The roads were way too slick, and the snow plows couldn't keep up with the snow. No sooner had they finished...... -
Happy New Year! photo credit: claudmey It's a brand new day and a brand new year! Let's take this "clean slate" and live our lives as joyful, healthy, and productive as we can! :) One of my personal resolutions is to forget past inadequacies and mistakes - to not dwell on them......
Related Websites -
Don Pedro Lake Don Pedro Lake is Located in: La Grange, CA Phone: (209) 852-2396 About the Lake: Don Pedro Lake is a lake that is rich in history. It is not crowded and it's location makes it perfect for a quick getaway. With more than 500 campsites, two full service marinas and...... - Want to spend new years eve/day at my boyfriends house, but...? I want to spend new years eve/day at my boyfriends house, but my mom won't "let" me. I'm 18, going to a community college part time (will be full time in the spring) and working part time. I would have my own apartment if I could afford it, but I......
-
Quick Green Reads For The Weekend Volume 108. I wish the weather would make up it's mind about what time of year it is. 65 degrees one day, snow and sleet the next. It's hard to make plans when such crazy changes happen in less than 24 hours! Are any of you guys having a weird winter...... - Player Profile for Jack William Nicklaus Jack Nicklaus was born on January 21 in 1940, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time, known as the Golden Bear. He has excellent records in many major championships, including 18 professional majors in a 25 year PGA Tour career, lasting from 1962......
-
Congratulations! You've paid your taxes! Yesterday, April 30th, 2007, was Tax Freedom Day for 2007 in the US. I hadn't heard of this until Five Cent Nickel posted about it over here. Tax Freedom Day is the day of the year that the average American has earned enough to cover his or her federal, state,......
- Globe Lamps Home Lighting
- Roses Plants, Seeds Bulbs Gardening Plants Yard, Garden Outdoor Living
- Globe Light Bulbs Home Lighting
- Deals Michigan Skiing Vacation
- Foot Pedals Sewing Collectibles
Categories:
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment