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New Year's Eve Trivia
As you wait for the clock to strike midnight, create your own version of trivial pursuit with questions about the history and celebration of New Year's Eve.
Q: The New Year has not always been celebrated on January 1. When did the original celebration take place?
A: Starting around the year 2000 B.C., the Babylonians observed the beginning of spring as the start of a new year.
Q: Who established January 1 as the start of a New Year?
A: Julius Caesar, who did so when he created the Julian calendar.
Q: What does the traditional New Year's song, Auld Lang Syne, mean?
A: Auld Lang Syne, written by Robert Burns in the 1700s, is Scottish for "old long ago."
Q: Who established the tradition of setting New Year's resolutions?
A: The Babylonians, whose most common resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.
Q: What is the most popular New Year's resolution in the United States today?
A: To lose weight! (How is that working?)
Q: Which city hosts the first major New Year's Eve celebration each year?
A: Sydney, Australia.
Q: What year did the first New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square?
A: 1907.
Q: Since its inaugural descent in 1907, the New Year's Eve Ball has dropped every year except two. Which two years did the ball not drop?
A: 1942 and 1943, due to wartime restrictions in New York City.
Q. How many DIFFERENT New Year's Eve balls have dropped in Times Square?
A. 8 - 1907; 1920; 1955; 1980; 1988; 1995; 2000; 2008
1907 - the first New Year's Eve Ball, made of
iron and wood and adorned with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs, was
5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds.
1920 - a 400 pound ball made entirely of wrought iron replaced
the original.
1955 - the iron ball was replaced with an aluminum ball weighing a
mere 200 pounds.
1980 - when red light bulbs and the addition of a green stem converted
the Ball into an apple for the "I Love New York" marketing campaign
from 1981 until 1988.
1988 - the traditional glowing white Ball with white light bulbs and
without the green stem returned to brightly light the sky above
Times Square.
1995 - the Ball was upgraded with aluminum skin, rhinestones,
strobes, and computer controls, but the aluminum ball was lowered
for the last time in 1998.
2000 - for Times Square 2000, the millennium celebration at the
Crossroads of the World, the New Year's Eve Ball was completely
redesigned by Waterford Crystal.
2008
- 72 of the crystal triangles
featured the new "Hope for Peace" design, consisting
of three dove-like patterns
symbolizing messengers of peace. The remaining 432 triangles
featured Waterford designs from previous years, including the Hope
for Fellowship, Hope for Wisdom, Hope for Unity, Hope for Courage,
Hope for Healing, Hope for Abundance, and Star of Hope triangles.
The new 2008 Ball will become a year-round attraction above
Times Square in full public view January through December.
Q. How much confetti is dropped in Times Square?
A. Once the ball drops, 1 ton of confetti will be
released over Times Square.
Q. Where was the New Year's Eve celebration
previously held?
A. Times Square
instantly replaced Lower Manhattan's Trinity Church
as "the" place in New York City to ring in the new
year at the first celebration in 1904.
Q. Why is a ball dropped?
A.
The city of New York banned the fireworks display in 1907.
Q: What year did the first New Year's Eve
celebration occur in Times Square?
A: 1904.
Q: Why did the first New Year's Eve celebration occur in Times Square?
A: The opening of the city's first
subway line, and the official opening of the new headquarters of
The New York Times.
Q: What was the original name of Times Square?
A. The New York Times
newspaper's owner, German Jewish immigrant Alfred Ochs, had
successfully lobbied the city to rename Longacre Square, the
district surrounding his paper's new home.
Q: Why do
chimes ring and bells toll after the ball drops? A. A harkening-back to the earlier celebrations at Trinity
Church, where crowds would gather to "ring out the old, ring in the
new."
New Years Eve Fun Facts
Everyone knows about the New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square.
Discover more about this and other traditions with our list of New Year's Eve fun facts.
Kissing your significant other is a favorite New Year's Eve tradition meant to guarantee a good relationship and affections throughout the next year.
The Legend of the Midnight Kiss - What It Might Foretell
The midnight kiss is one of the nicest ways to ring in the
moment of the New Year's significance with those nearest and
dearest.
Like kissing under the mistletoe, the custom of the kiss
can be traced back to the Ancient Roman merry making festival
of Saturnalia, and observances around the Winter Solstice at
year end (those Romans sure liked to celebrate with a kiss!).
Later, the New Year's Eve kiss would come to be a
barometer for things to come.
As English and German legend had it, the first person you
came in contact with when the bells chimed twelve, be it a
familiar, friendly face or inauspicious acquaintance, set the
tone for your happiness and fortune in the coming year.
A kiss with one you loved ensured affections and good
tidings. To smooch someone less favorable, or not at all,
could mean misfortune.
In more recent times, the good luck ritual of the kiss has
become a telling sign for matters of love and the heart - will
this be the year that all my romantic wishes come true?
With expectations like that, there are those who may want
to make plans to ensure they will be kissing someone sweet -
we wouldn't want the next year to leave us out in the cold!
Las Vegas, Disneyworld and New York City are billed as three of the top New Year's Eve destinations.
Top 5 Places to Spend New Year's Eve
New York, Times Square
This New Year's Eve location may be a bit cliché, but it's so
festive that it has to be experienced at least once in a lifetime.
From the iconic ball drop at One Times Square to Dick Clark's New
Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, it is a New Years you won't
soon forget. Make sure to dress warmly, as New York can get
extremely cold during winter. Also, the Times Square area gets
packed with people, which means that there is little room to move
around near midnight - get there early.
New Orleans
New Orleans is another extremely popular New Year's celebration
spot. Revelers enjoy drinks and merriment up and down Bourbon
street all night, where it is legal to carry your own alcohol
outside of the bars and restaurants. The entire French quarter is
filled with live music from early evening until well past
midnight, and the official countdown takes place in Jackson
Square, which features its own ball drop from the roof of Jax's Brewery.
Boston
Celebrate New Year's Eve with the whole family at Boston's
"First Night" attraction. Boston was the first city to embrace the
First Night celebrations with the goal of providing a cultural,
family friendly New Year's Eve experience all ages can enjoy.
The celebration has grown to over 250 exhibitions and
performances by artists from across the globe. Attractions and
vendors are scattered throughout downtown Boston, and are open
from 1 pm until midnight.
Las Vegas
Being one of the wildest party places on any given weekend
during the year, it only makes sense that Las Vegas should have
rocking New Year's festivities.
There are two places to party in Vegas on New Year's Eve: The
Strip, and The Fremont Experience in downtown Las Vegas. Both
offer amazing fireworks shows and all night partying, but the
Fremont Experience also has top-notch musical performers to
entertain revelers. Generally speaking, the Strip caters to a
younger crowd while the Fremont Experience attracts older, but
equally ready to party, generations.
Key West
Key West has to be known for the most eclectic New Year's
celebrations. If the bone-chilling cold of Times Square's ball
drop has you shivering, you can head south to take your pick from
one of Key West's three zany ball drops. Head to Sloppy Joe's Bar
on Duval street to watch a gigantic conch shell work its way down
to midnight, watch a pirate wench lowered from the mast of a ship
in Key West's historic seaport, or watch Sushi, the famous local
drag queen, get lowered from a Duval street balcony atop a giant
red high-heeled pump.
About 75% of American New Year's Eve parties involve 20 people or less.
The tradition of a ball drop to signal the passage of time began at England's Royal Observatory at Greenwich in 1833.
The actual notion of a ball "dropping" to
signal the passage of time dates back long before New Year's Eve
was ever celebrated in Times Square. The first "time-ball" was
installed atop England's Royal Observatory at Greenwich in 1833.
This ball would drop at one o'clock every afternoon, allowing the
captains of nearby ships to precisely set their chronometers (a
vital navigational instrument).
Dick Clark has not appeared on Dick Clark's Rockin New Year's Eve special since 2003.
The primetime New Year's Eve show has entertained Americans since Clark began it in 1973 with the exception of New Year's Eve 1999. That year, coverage of the millennium was broadcast throughout the country in a special titled, ABC 2000 Today. Clark did countdown the seconds to midnight as the East Coast welcomed the New Year.
Made of iron and wood and adorned with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs, the first New Year's Eve ball was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds.
Introduced on November 11, 2008, a new Times Square New Year's Eve ball weighs 11,875 pounds. The 12-foot geodesic sphere is covered in 2,668 Waterford crystals.
Once the ball drops, 1 ton of confetti will be released
over Times Square.
Eating for good luck is a popular tradition in cultures around the world. Try 12 grapes at midnight (Spain), donuts (Holland) or black-eyed peas (American South).
See Seven New Year's Superstitions below.
Seven New Year's Superstitions
Bring on the Noise!
New Year's wouldn't be complete with noisemakers! Tradition holds that
making lots of noise at midnight will ward off evil spirits from entering
the New Year.
12 Grapes.
A popular superstition in the Mediterranean and Latin American countries,
many revelers suggest eating 12 grapes at midnight to ensure good luck
for each month of the coming year. Be sure to have plenty of grapes on
hand for your guests.
For a fun twist, plop one or two in a glass of champagne for the midnight
toast!
Black Eyed Peas.
This tradition began in the south when poor farmers were forced to eat
their livestock's feed (black eyed peas) in order to survive a brutal
winter. This superstition holds true today, with many believing that
eating black eyed peas on New Years day will ensure a prosperous and safe
new year.
Money in Your Pocket
Be sure to keep some change in your pocket at midnight to bring good
fortune and wealth in the New Year. Just before midnight, pass around a
roll of coins to your guests to make sure everyone is prepared!
Wear Something New (and Red!)
Forecast your fashion fortune in the coming months and wear a new outfit
on New Year's. Even if it is one piece like a fancy new skirt for you or
tie for you guy, this superstition is a perfect excuse for a little
shopping. Or, double your luck and be sure to wear something in red.
Put Pork on the Menu
When planning your dinner menu, focus on pork. Since pigs eat their food
moving forward, enjoying pork on New Year's will assure the year ahead
will be bountiful.
The Midnight Kiss.
We all know how important that first kiss at midnight is, especially so
for spouses and significant others. That first kiss ensures intimacy and
a close relationship throughout the New Year. Pucker up with a special
new lip gloss!
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medical or psychological intervention for any disorder.
It is to be used in a
complementary manner, not as an alternative.
Should not be used instead of appropriate
medical, dental, or psychological treatment, and any individual with a medical
or psychological problem should first consult a qualified health care provider
for diagnosis and professional advice.
It is to be used in a complementary
manner, not as an alternative.
Is not intended to Diagnose, Treat, Cure, or Prevent any disease or illness.
Should only be practiced by those who have been
appropriately trained, certified, who practice appropriately, and within the scope of their
training and certification.
Contact Information Telephone:
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Nestles Hypnotherapy PO Box 158 Morse Mill, MO 63066 (USA) Email -
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