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The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In 2000BC, the New Year began with the first new moon after the first day of (Northern Hemisphere) spring. This seemed to the ancient peoples to be the best time to start a new year. It signified rebirth after the planting of new crops when the New Year celebration last for eleven days.

As time went on, the Romans continued celebrating the New Year to coincide with spring. In 153 BC, the Roman senate declared January l to be the beginning of the New Year. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar established the Julian calendar synchronizing it with the sun and keeping January the first as the start of the New Year.

In the first centuries AD, the Romans continued celebrating the New Year, but the early Catholic Church condemned the festivities as paganism. As Christianity became more widespread, so did acceptance of the celebration. January 1 has been marked as a holiday by Western nations for the past 400 years.

New Year foods are thought to bring luck. Anything shaped like a ring is good luck because it symbolizes the full circle', completing a year's cycle. In Holland, the Dutch believe that eating doughnuts on New Year's Day will bring good luck. Good luck foods from other countries include black eyed peas, meat from the pig, cabbage and rice.

The Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. In China, many people take a long holiday from work to prepare and celebrate the New Year.

According to Chinese astrology, this year, 2007 is the Chinese Year of the Fire Pig. The Year of the Fire Pig combines two incompatible elements - fire and water. This makes it a year of change and instability, but with hard work, it is possible to harness these dynamic energies to bring good luck and prosperity.

In 2008, the Chinese New Year falls on 7 February, the Year of the Rat. Those born in Rat years are traditionally leaders, charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking.

Scotland celebrates New Year or Hogmanay as they call it, with revelry and passion. They believe that on New Years Eve, their houses should be cleaned, and the ashes taken from the fireplace to guarantee a clean break from the old to welcome in the New Year. Their first visitor on New Year's Day should be a tall dark haired man to bring good luck for the rest of the year. Ideally he should bring with him pieces of coal, shortbread, salt, black bun and a wee dram of whisky.

Auld Lang Syne' written by Scotsman Robert Burns in the 1700s is the traditional song to welcome in New Year. All over the world it is sung at the stroke of midnight to bring in the new year. It translates as old long ago' and refers to the good old days of previous years. A Happy New Year to all our readers.

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