New Year’s is the time when we usher out the ending of one year and welcome in the new. In the Gregorian calendar, this happens on the 1st of January, and has done so since Roman times, approximately 45 BC, when Julius Caesar moved the celebrations from the 1st of March. Other calendars mark the New Year on different dates. The Iranian celebration Nowruz has been marked on the 1st March since the 11th century. The Chinese New Year has been celebrated in China for over 3,500 years, though the precise date changes according to the lunar cycle. With such a long and diverse history, it is little wonder that there are many aspects of New Year’s celebrations around the world (often an excuse to drink, celebrate, and watch exceptional fireworks show) that have their basis in myth and superstition: Twelve Grapes One Spanish tradition that has spread to many Spanish-speaking countries in South America is to eat twelve grapes at the stroke of midnight. Each grape represents a month of the ...
