New Years Eve
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Overview
Discover New Years Eve on Obscure Holiday Calendar with traditions, fun facts, and ways to celebrate.
Origin and story
New Year's Eve marks the final night of the Gregorian calendar year, observed every December 31 with countdowns to midnight. In the United States, the best-known tradition is the Times Square Ball Drop, which began in 1907 after New York City banned street-level fireworks displays.
Traditions vary widely by culture: many English-speaking countries sing "Auld Lang Syne" at midnight, Spaniards eat 12 grapes on the clock's final chimes, and communities around the world mark the transition with fireworks, church bells, and gatherings of friends and family.
Quick facts
- DateDecember 31
- TypeCultural / community observance
- Great forFriends, Families, Classrooms, Teams
Ways to celebrate
The Times Square Ball Drop exists because of a fireworks ban. New York City outlawed street fireworks after 1904, so New York Times publisher Adolph Ochs — who'd already been throwing a rooftop fireworks show to promote his paper's new headquarters — commissioned a lit-up iron-and-wood ball to be lowered from a flagpole instead, debuting the tradition on December 31, 1907.
Watch the tradition that started it all
- Tune in to the ball drop at midnight, whether in person in Times Square or on a broadcast, to watch a tradition now in its second century.
Read how a fireworks ban created an icon
Helpful resources: Smithsonian Magazine traces the ball drop's origins in "The History of the Times Square Ball Drop."
Borrow a tradition from somewhere else
- Try eating 12 grapes at midnight, one on each stroke of the clock, a Spanish New Year's custom said to bring luck for each month ahead.
Did you know?
The original 1907 ball was iron and wood studded with 100 light bulbs and weighed about 700 pounds — the current ball, introduced for the 2008 centennial, is a geodesic sphere covered in over 2,600 Waterford crystal triangles and weighs nearly 12,000 pounds.
Fun facts
- New Year's Eve falls on December 31 every year, the final night of the Gregorian calendar.
- The Times Square Ball Drop tradition began in 1907 after New York City banned street fireworks.
- "Auld Lang Syne," the song traditionally sung at midnight, is a Scottish poem by Robert Burns set to a folk tune.
Sources and attribution
External links may lead to third-party websites.
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FAQ
- When is New Years Eve?
- It is observed on December 31 each year.
- What is New Years Eve?
- New Year's Eve, observed on December 31st, is the last night of the calendar year, marked around the world by countdowns to midnight, fireworks, and traditions like the Times Square Ball Drop and singing 'Auld Lang Syne.'
- How do people celebrate New Years Eve?
- Watch the Times Square Ball Drop at midnight, try the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes on each clock chime, and read up on how a 1904 fireworks ban led to the ball-drop tradition in the first place.
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