Happy New Year 2025: Celebrations begin! Know history, customs, significance and more

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day both ring in happiness and celebrations in one emotion of newness, change and hope around the world. It is a celebration that is marked by different festivities and ways globally according to a country or region’s cultures, religions, and geographies. As we enter the new year 2025, let us know the origins, traditions, and significance of this day that comes every year on the same date but brings with it a whole new year.  

History 

Celebrating New Year is not a contemporary phenomenon, instead, it is an age-old tradition originating in ancient civilizations. The oldest recorded festivities dates to Mesopotamia around 2000 BCE, where the new year was celebrated during the vernal equinox. In ancient Rome, emperor Julius Caesar changed the calendar in 45 BCE establishing January 1 as the first day of the new year, in honour of the Roman god Janus, the deity of beginnings and transitions. 

The Christian Church temporarily substituted religiously significant festivals, like Christmas or Easter, for January 1 in medieval Europe. But in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII instituted the Gregorian calendar, which restored January 1 as New Year's Day and is still commonly observed today. 

Significance 

The last days of December feel like we’re leaving something old and set to welcome newness, change, hope, renewal and all these which are hallmark of New Year. New Year’s Day is that time of the year when we reflect on how we spent the gone year and what new and more we need to do in this year.  

New Year's Day represents renewal, optimism, and the common yearning for advancement and progress. For many, it's also a time to welcome new possibilities and deepen relationships with loved ones.  

Why we celebrate the new year 

New Year’s Day celebration is part of cultures and traditions. Though, fireworks and countdowns are mostly similar in various countries and regions, the day is celebrated differently based on meals and other festivities. The day holds significance in terms of aspirations, customs, etc. of a community or a region. It is thus marked with different rituals in various places. These are some of the common customs for New Year’s Day celebrations.  

1. Resolutions: To promote growth and self-improvement, people set both professional and personal goals.  

2. Fireworks: A global symbol of happiness and excitement, fireworks light up the sky as the year begins.  

3. Festive Meals: In many cultures, eating foods like lentils, grapes, or round fruits is considered lucky.  

4. Parties and Get-Togethers: Social gatherings encourage a feeling of celebration and community.