New years eve美国节日介绍-除夕夜.ppt

New Year’s Eve WHEN ? New Years Day is always celebrated on Jan. 1. New Years Day 2007 falls on a Sunday. Traditionally, people ring in the new year with celebrations on Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve. HISTORY New Years Day is the oldest and most universal holiday. Throughout early history, annual harvests provided a primitive way to keep track of years. The end of the harvest marked the beginning of a new year. It was generally celebrated in March on the vernal equinox when the sun crosses the equator in the spring and when night and day are of equal length everywhere.The Romans were the first to observe Jan. 1 as New Years Day in 153 B.C., according to Hallmark research. Julius Caesar developed the Juliancalendar in 45 B.C., retaining Jan. 1 as the beginning of the new year.In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII instituted the Gregorian calendar still in use today, keeping Jan. 1 as New Years Day.Typically, the old year is represented by “Father Time,” an elderly man with a flowing gray beard, and the new year is represented by an infant. SEVERAL TRADICTIONS AND SUPERSTITIONS There are several traditions and superstitions that should be taken care of before midnight on the 31st December: these include cleaning the house and taking out the ashes from the fire, there is also the requirement to clear all your debts before the bells sound midnight, the underlying message being to clear out the remains of the old year, have a clean break and welcome in a young, New Year on a happy note. New Year in Britain Britain has its own way to welcome the New Year, with different countries and cities celebrating it in a unique way but the spirit to celebrate the New Year is the same all over Britain. New Year in Britain are often marked with parties be it at home or with friends in a club or pub. With festivities at their best till the clock strikes 12 at midnight, New Year in Britain is a time to drink, eat and dance. CELEBRATION  Known to expertly anticipate the unspoken deman