New Year's Eve Ball Drop

Watching the ball drop in Times Square has become an event that everyone tunes in to watch on December 31st. The creation of the Times Square ball was done to offset the rowdiness of New Year's revelers and to prevent ash from fireworks from making more of a mess on the streets of New York in the early 1900s. History was made in 1907 with the first ball drop.

Click on the picture to learn about the history of the New Year's Eve Ball in Times Square and how it's been updated over the years!

Auld Lang Syne - "Old Long Since"

As soon as the clock strikes 12:00 am, crowds break out into this song first written down by Robert Burns in 1788. This old poem became associated with New Year's in 1929, when played by Guy Lombardo and his band and broadcasted over the radio. Sung as a fond farewell to the old year, it has also been sung at graduations and funerals.

Click on the picture to watch the Choral Scholars of University College Dublin perform this song!

New Year's Kiss

Who do you kiss when the clock strikes 12:00? Some think that you will have a loveless year without a New Year's kiss, while others use this tradition to reaffirm a romance. A kiss at midnight can cleanse a person of evil and give a blank slate for the year, like it was practiced at masquerade balls during the Renaissance. Whether it's to start the year with luck in love, or to befriend total strangers, this tradition has been around for thousands of years.

Click on the picture to make your own kisses to give for the New Year!

New Year's Resolutions

A new year is seen as a blank slate. People absolve their past behavior and resolve to be a better person for family, friends, and community. These resolutions have been around for thousands of years and have been mainly practiced as a part of religious ceremony or rituals. Though it has secular roots, making resolutions has evolved to be done outside of the church.

• Ancient Babylonians made promises to gods that debts would be paid and borrowed objects would be returned. If they kept their word, the gods would bestow their favor upon the person for the new year.

• Ancient Romans would make sacrifices to the god, Janus, with promises of good conduct in the upcoming year.

• John Wesley, founder of Methodism, starts Covenant Renewal Services in 1740. Also known as a "watchnight service," this service held on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day allows people to pray and introspect past mistakes, behavior, and resolve to do better in the new year.

Click on the picture to discover a few different ways to create your New Year's Resolutions list!