First Night Arts Celebration
New Year’s Eve
Boston, Massachusetts
First
night Boston is the largest New Year’s Eve event in North America.
Celebrating the arts and showcasing Boston's cultural and artistic
communities through over 250 exhibitions and performances by both local
and internationally recognized artists, activities start at 1pm and run
to midnight. Highlights of the festivities include the Boston Pops
Symphony Hall concert broadcast live on video screens on City Hall
Plaza, and the fireworks display over the harbor.
For more information about the First Night Arts Celebration visit: http://www.firstnight.org
Bayfront Park's New Year's Eve
New Year’s Eve
Bayfront Park – Miami, Southeast Florida This
annual New Year's Eve event in Miami’s Bayfront Park is a free New
Year’s Eve party and concert complete with a DJ dance party and midnight
fireworks display when the huge orange completes its ascent up the side
of the Hotel Intercontinental during the countdown to midnight.
For more information about the Bayfront Park's New Year's Eve visit: http://www.bayfrontparkmiami.com/pages/events.html
America's Party - New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve
The Strip – Las Vegas, Nevada Attracting
visitors from all over the world, this New Years Eve Event known as
America’s Party occupies the entire length of The Strip from the
Excalibur to Stratosphere, the entire length of which features major
fireworks, and attracts tens of thousands of visitors (many wearing
special hats).
For more information about America's Party - New Years Eve visit: http://www.lvol.com/events/newyear.html
New Year’s Eve
Honolulu – Oahu, Hawaii Aloha
Tower Marketplace rings in the New Year with an unparalleled New Year's
Eve celebration featuring waterfront dining, shopping, free live
entertainment on multiple stages and a spectacular front row fireworks
display over Honolulu Harbor at midnight. Center Stage festivities begin
at 7pm with live entertainment, free giveaways, face painting, balloon
animals and more.
For more information about the New Year’s Eve Fireworks Celebration in Oahu visit: http://alohatower.com
New
Year's Day falls on January 1 and marks the start of a new year
according to the Gregorian calendar. It marks the end of New Year's Eve
celebrations in the United States and gives many Americans a chance to
remember the previous year.
The start of New Year's Day, at midnight, is heralded by fireworks,
parties and special events, which are often televised. Very few people
have to work on the day itself. For many it is a day of recovery from
the New Year's Eve celebrations the previous night. In some towns and
cities, parades are held and special football games are played. The
birth of the first baby in the New Year is often celebrated with gifts
to his or her parents and appearances in local newspapers and on local
news shows. Many people make New Year's resolutions. These are usually
promises to themselves that they will improve something in their own
lives. Common New Year's resolutions are to stop smoking or drinking
alcohol, to lose weight, exercise more or to live a healthier lifestyle.
Public Life
Government offices, organizations, schools and many businesses are
closed in the USA on New Year's Day. Public transit systems do not run
on their regular schedules. Where large public celebrations have been
held, traffic may be disrupted by the clean-up operation. In general,
public life is completely closed down.
Background
The Gregorian calendar is widely used in many countries such as the
United States. This was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. The
Julian calendar that had been in use until then was slightly inaccurate,
causing the vernal equinox to move backwards in the calendar year. The
Gregorian calendar was not accepted everywhere and some churches,
particularly with origins in Eastern Europe, still use other calendars.
According to the Gregorian calendar, the first day of the year is
January 1.
Symbols
A common symbol of New Year's Day is Baby New Year. This is often a
white male baby dressed in a diaper, a hat and a sash. The year he
represents is printed on his sash. He rarely a newborn baby, as many
pictures show him sitting up or even standing alone. According to
mythology, Baby New Year grows up and ages in a single year. At the end
of the year he is an old man and hands his role over to the next Baby
New Year. Other symbols of New Year's Day are spectacular fireworks
exploding over landmarks and clocks striking midnight as the year
begins.
First
night Boston is the largest New Year’s Eve event in North America.
Celebrating the arts and showcasing Boston's cultural and artistic
communities through over 250 exhibitions and performances by both local
and internationally recognized artists, activities start at 1pm and run
to midnight. Highlights of the festivities include the Boston Pops
Symphony Hall concert broadcast live on video screens on City Hall
Plaza, and the fireworks display over the harbor. 
