Every year on Jan. 1, much of the world comes together to ring in the New Year. However, not everyone celebrates the New Year the same way or even on the same day.
Lunar New Year is celebrated this year on Feb. 17, Lunar New Year is celebrated on the first new moon of each year. This holiday is celebrated by East Asia, but Americans commonly associate it with Chinese New Year.
Unlike the New Year the United States primarily recognizes, which is usually celebrated for one day, Lunar New Year is celebrated over two weeks, with a number of celebrations and gatherings.
Symbolic ceremonies are the cornerstones of Lunar New Year celebrations. Fireworks are lit to ward off evil spirits and houses are thoroughly cleaned to get rid of the bad luck from the previous year. During the New Year, red is the central color meant to represent joy and good fortune.
Diwali, commonly known as “The Festival of Lights,” is a five day Hindu Lunar celebration. The dates change yearly depending on the Hindu calendar, but this year it will take place on Oct. 20, 2026.
The date is chosen based on the amavasya (new moon), the darkest night in the Hindu calendar. People clean and decorate their homes to welcome in Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, with entryways of colored sand, rice paste and flowers. The lights that Diwali is known for are meant to help guide Lakshmi to the homes of those who celebrate to help bring prosperity in the year to come.
In the Hebrew lunar month of Tishrei, Rosh Hashanah is celebrated on the first and second day as Jewish New Year. Meaning “head of year,” this is a period of reflection, meant to emphasize thoughtfulness and forgiveness for those who celebrate.
A shofar (ram’s horn trumpet) is blown before and during Rosh Hashanah, serving as a call of repentance and a reminder to those celebrating that God is their king.
Traditions and customs vary from family to family, but symbolic foods are one of the central points for this time; pomegranate seeds are eaten to symbolize filling the year with good deeds.
Much of Rosh Hashanah is spent in the synagogue for religious services or at home, because during this time work is prohibited. This year it will be celebrated from Sept. 11 to Sept. 13.
New Year’s Day marks the first day of the Gregorian calendar, and is what we are most familiar with here in the U.S.
One of the classic traditions of New Years is making resolutions or goals for the New Year. This is believed to have started with the Ancient Babylonians who made promises to gods in order to start the year off with luck and prosperity.
Some newer superstitions have become popular over the years, like eating twelve grapes under a table from midnight to 12:01 a.m. This is meant to bring good luck in relationships through the New Year.
New York’s Times Square is a hugely popular event for people to travel to for the occasion, with more than one million people descending to see the ball drop every single year.
No matter what kind of New Year is being celebrated, all cultures and traditions are joined together by the hope for a happy and prosperous year to come.