For many people around the world, January 1 offers people a chance to make a fresh start with a new year.  But did you know that over the last dozens of centuries, New Year’s was not always celebrated on the first day of January?  The original New Year’s Eve celebration, the massive Babylonian event of Akitu, was celebrated around the spring equinox.

In 46 B.C., Julius Cesar introduced a new calendar that was synched to the sun instead of the moon officially moving New Year’s celebrations from March 1 to January 1.  In the middle ages, the Christian church did away with many of the ancient Roman festivals because of their pagan roots.  As a result, New Year’s was celebrated on various dates throughout medieval Europe including December 25 and March 25.  Finally in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII overhauled the calendar system again.  The Gregorian calendar, which we still use today, restored January 1 as New Year’s Day.

Even today, some countries and cultures follow a lunar and not solar calendar and hold their New Year’s celebrations at different times of the year.  Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and the first day of Muharram, the start of the Islamic calendar year, are celebrated in the fall.   And the Chinese New year, which lasts for a whole month, begins in late January or early February.

New Year’s food traditions also vary from country to country.  In Spain, people eat twelve grapes in the seconds leading up to midnight.  Other cultures also eat special foods for New Years.  Greeks eat ring-shaped cakes with silver or gold coins baked inside.  In China, a dumpling represents hope for an auspicious New Year.  And in Japan, long buckwheat noodles symbolize long life.

Since 1904 crowds have packed New York’s Times Square.  My college-aged daughter is having her first visit to the city with girlfriends and spent her New Year’s Eve experiencing one of the most famous New Year’s traditions of all, the dropping of the ball.  At midnight, hundreds of thousands of people enjoy the mesmerizing kaleidoscope effect live while millions view it from their televisions around the world and at home.  The ball has nearly 16 million vivid colors and billions of patterns it can project.

From champagne and fireworks to resolutions and fresh starts, New Year’s has always been many things to many people. It has a long and colorful history.  For me, 2014 was packed full of interesting and challenging life lessons.  Here’s to the growth that will come of such of year.  Happy 2015 everyone!