First Country to Celebrate New Year
The small island nations of Tonga, Samoa, and Kiribati are the first to celebrate New Year’s. New Year’s Eve is observed on the final day of the year, often on December 31st, according to the Gregorian calendar. Many nations throughout the world celebrate New Year’s Eve with parties and get-togethers where people gather to dine, dance, watch firework displays, and make new resolutions. These festivities usually continue into New Year’s Day, which is January 1st and the starting day of the Gregorian and Julian calendars. In pre-Christian Rome, New Year’s was dedicated to Janus, who was the god of gateways and beginnings. The day was liturgically observed as the Feast of the Naming and Circumcision of Jesus in the Christian Gregorian calendar. The Lutheran and Anglican churches continue to observe the feast. Here is a list of First Country New Year’s Eve celebrations based on their calendar.
History of January 1st as New Year’s Day
The civil Roman calendar initially celebrated the New Year on January 1st, 153 BCE in Rome, which marked the beginning of tenure for new Roman consuls. However, many Romans continued to celebrate their new year on March 1st, despite the fact that the event was not rigorously adhered to. Julius Caesar began utilising a solar-based calendar in 46 BCE, which kept January 1st as the New Year’s Day and was widely observed across the Roman Empire. January 1st as the New Year was briefly banned in mediaeval Europe because it was deemed a pagan celebration. Following the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, January 1st was reinstated as the New Year.
The Time Zone Effect
Because the earth has more than 24 distinct time zones, New Year’s is celebrated at different times across the world. Local time within time zones is determined by its divergence from the world time standard, often known as Universal Time Coordinated (UTC). Every 15 degrees west or east of the Prime Meridian (zero degrees longitude) causes the time to vary by one hour. The borders of the international time zone map, on the other hand, are not as accurately defined and are altered to match with national and international boundaries.
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First Country to Celebrate New Year
Many people throughout the world see Australia’s well-known Sydney Harbour fireworks show as the start of New Year’s celebrations. To many people’s surprise, the little island nations of Tonga, Samoa, and Kiribati are the first to celebrate New Year’s. New Zealand is the next country to celebrate the New Year, followed by Australia, Japan, and South Korea, with Bakers Island coming in last.
Cultural Variations in New Year’s Celebrations
Various nations and civilizations throughout the world celebrate New Year’s on different dates. To recognise major celebrations and the start of the New Year, these societies often use solar, lunar, and other indigenous calendars. The Chinese New Year, which is celebrated between January 21st and February depending on the new moon of the first lunar month, Rosh Hashanah, which is celebrated on the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, Hijri New Year, which is celebrated on the first day of the Islamic calendar, and the Ethiopian New Year are among the various New Year celebrations. Other celebrations include the Korean Seollal, the Balinese Nyepi, the Iranian Nowruz, the Sri Lankan Puthandu, and the Hindu Diwali.