New Year celebrations

People have been holding celebrations to mark the beginning of a new year for thousands of years. Sometimes these simply gave them an opportunity to eat, drink and have fun as the days became longer. But in some places the festivities were associated with different land or astronomical events.

For example, in Egypt the beginning of the year coincided with the period when the River Nile flooded. It is known that this normally happened when the star Sirius rose. The Persians as well as Phoenicians started their new year at the spring equinox. This is around 20th March when the Sun shines more or less directly on the equator. It is the time when the length of the night and the day are almost the same.

Nowadays in many cities all over the world, spectacular fireworks displays take place as soon as the clock passes midnight on 31st December. Freshly, Sydney in Australia has been the host to one of the 1st of these celebrations. The thing is that New Year arrives there before most other major international cities. The show takes place in Sydney Harbour, where the Opera House and Harbour Bridge make it a stunning setting.

Traditions, traditions

The historians say that the city of Babylon in ancient Mesopotamia was the place where the first New Year's celebrations were recorded. It was about 4,000 years ago. The Babylonians used to hold their celebrations on the first new moon which came after the spring equinox. The celebration lasted 11 days.

There is a number of strange and interesting New Year's traditions around the globe. The Scottish people call the New Year's Eve Hogmanay. There the 'first footing' still remains a popular custom with people visiting friends' and neighbors’ houses right after midnight. The 1st person who visits your house should bring a gift as this will mean good luck. In Spain, it is the custom to eat 12 grapes as the bells sound for midnight on 31st December. One grape should be eaten at each sound of the bell and each grape is known to bring good luck for each month of the year ahead.

In Ecuador, Bolivia, Brasilia, Venezuela and some other Central and South American countries, people prefer to wear special underwear of different colors on New Year's Eve. Red is supposed to be good for bringing love, while yellow is supposed to bring money.

Fresh start 2023

The New Year is a great time to make a change for the better. The tradition of making New Year's resolutions is really common in the western hemisphere and it also exists in the eastern hemisphere. The tradition involves a person making a commitment to change an unwelcome habit or behavior or setting a personal objective.

Typical New Year's resolutions might be to give up smoking, lose weight, start learning English, eat healthier food, do more exercise, become more organized or laugh more… But really, a New Year's resolution can be almost anything.

If living through a global pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we shouldn't take health and wellness for granted. In 2023, the idea of zeroing in on your body, mind and soul is seen as a great way to organize your long-term goals for the new year. However, researches suggest that many New Year's resolutions fail. Being highly realistic about the objectives you set and not making too many New Year's resolutions might help those who want to achieve success!

Just some ideas for New Year’s resolutions

Read more books. January is the best time of year to snuggle up with a new novel. In order to keep yourself accountable all year long, why not link up with friends and relatives to connect over the best pages you've read?

Exercise your brain. Scientists are always learning more about how humans work to protect us from cognitive decline. And while the data may be divided, if one thing is sure, games can play a decisive role here. Researchers at Duke University have studied participants’ brain activity while they completed simple math problems. They found out that solving them feels like a reward, helping to curb negative feelings. Playing the mind-boosting games featured here: Free apps for learning English. It can help manage stress and stop the anxiety. It is also a verified way to boost happiness endorphins.

Take the stairs. Take about 10 minutes to run up the stairs in your office or home. A study published in the journal Physiology & Behavior states that tired women who climbed stairs for 10 minutes got a bigger energy boost than those who had the caffeine equivalent of a can of soda or half a cup of coffee (and at the same time they burned the calories too!).