[Sunday, 1 January 2023] location : United States
New Year’s Day
Since 1870, the first day of the new year, January 1, has been a federal holiday in the US. The majority of businesses and schools are closed. Roads can still be restricted as it usually takes a day to clean up from the night’s celebrations. On holidays, transportation is operated as usual.
Traditions on New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day is typically spent resting from New Year’s Eve festivities, which might linger until the early hours of the morning.
Meals can be shared by families and friends. Certain foods are eaten for good luck: pork, because pigs are said to represent abundance and progress; black eyed peas, which are included in dishes such as Hoppin’ John, a southern dish, because the roundness of the peas represents a full year and money; and cabbage, which also represents prosperity.
According to McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia, on New Year’s Day in ancient Rome, people “gave themselves up to riotous excess and all sorts of pagan superstition.”
Making resolutions – vows to better oneself in the new year – is a widespread habit.
Common New Year’s resolutions include decreasing weight, quitting smoking or other bad habits, and getting more exercise. Most individuals, however, fail to follow through within the first few days of the year.
Around 4,000 years ago, the Babylonians would crown a new monarch or swear their fealty to the current king at the start of each year. They also promised the gods that they would pay off their debts and return borrowed stuff. The gods would bless them if they maintained their oaths. They would lose favour if they broke them.