New Year - a time to celebrate - An Article from Times of India
New Year marks the beginning of a new Gregorian calendar year. Celebrated universally every year on January 1 in various innovative ways, the trend to observe this date as an important day in the calendar has spread globally. People at midnight hold special events, entertaining activities and grand celebrations to welcome the New Year. In many regions of the world, it is celebrated as a public holiday and the offices, institutions and commercial activities remain closed to observe Happy New Year. The New Year 2012 falls on Sunday and is approaching and people are busy with their plans to celebrate the advent of the day with their own unique ideas.
Although the time zones of New Year festivity vary but celebrations for New Year festival kick off in advance. The enthusiasm of people could be witnessed at market areas, hotels, pubs and other community centres as these places remain crowded before and on the day of celebration. Most people consider New Year as the right time to adopt a resolution for the forthcoming year.
As a tradition to welcome the New Year, major incidents of the passing year are recalled on television, newspapers and radio which usually kicks off in early December.
Sending New Year cards, carrying beautiful quotes is relatively a modern practice. People also scour for innovative and lovely New Year gifts and cards to send warm New Year greetings to their family members and friends. Many observe the event by arranging feast that includes various delicious handmade items.
But with the advancement of technology, the trend of sending New Year wishes is gradually shifting to mobile platform. The reason, its user friendly features of New Year SMS allow the sender to send text messages to another mobile number within the shortest span of time. Moreover, options are also made available to make the messages more personalised or simply say 'Happy New Year 2012' by adding icons or smileys.
The New Year in India is also celebrated with great excitement by following the Gregorian calendar which was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. In Europe, the observance of New Year symbolizes as Baby New Year in which a baby boy is dressed in a hat, diaper and sash believed that he grows up along with passing of each day.
In the Europe New Year is marked with bursting firecrackers and making bonfires of the discarded Christmas trees.
