New Year's Day is
celebrated on the first
day of the year, January
1st. It is a
statutory holiday
throughout Canada. When
New Year's Day falls on
a Sunday, the next
working day is
considered a legal
holiday.
The celebration of this
holiday begins the night
before, when people
gather to wish each
other a happy and
prosperous coming year.
People may dance, sing,
and drink a toast to the
year ahead. Horns are
blown at midnight, and
people hug and kiss to
begin the new year with
much love and happiness.
At the stroke of
midnight on New Year's
Eve, people cheer and
sing "Auld
Lang Syne." The
song, which means "old
long since" or roughly
"the good old days," was
written by Robert Burns
in 1788.
In one tradition, 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. Making New
Year's resolutions –
pledges to change for
the better in the coming
year – is another common
activity associated with
this holiday.
New Year's Day is the
oldest and most
universal holiday. The
Romans were the first to
observe January 1 as New
Year's Day in 153 B.C.
In 1582, Pope Gregory
XIII instituted the
Gregorian calendar still
in use today, setting
January 1 as New Year's
Day. Prior to this, many
countries celebrated the
new year on April 1st
in celebration with the
new spring season. It
was celebrated much the
same way as it is today
with parties and dancing
into the late hours of
the night. The origin of
April Fools' Day can
be traced to this
change.
Auld Lang Syne
Performance by
The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band
Should auld
acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of Auld Lang Syne?
For Auld Lang Syne, my dear,
For Auld Lang Syne;
We'll take a cup of kindness yet
For Auld Lang Syne
And here's a hand, my trusty friend,
And gives a hand o' thine;
We'll take a cup of kindness yet
For Auld Land Syne
For Auld Lang Syne, my dear,
For Auld Lang Syne;
We'll take a cup of kindness yet
For Auld Lang Syne
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