New Year’s Day – A Holiday of new beginning
New Year’s Day officially begins as soon as people yell “Happy New Year” at midnight. Most people continue partying well after midnight into the wee hours of the first day of the new year. In fact, many New Year’s parties include breakfast or brunch. Sometimes at the stroke of midnight there will be fireworks and couples often kiss. One of the most famous New Year’s celebrations takes place in New York City’s Time Square, where a huge cut crystal ball drops at midnight in front of millions of people standing in the cold. Many more millions watch on television. Some groups, called Polar Bear Clubs, jump into the cold ocean water on New Year’s Day as a literal way to start the new year fresh.
New Year’s Day, January 1, is a national holiday in the United States. This means that schools, banks, government offices, and post offices are closed. Given how much people tend to drink alcohol on New Year’s Eve, many people wake up on New Year’s Day with a hangover. The national holiday is a good day to recover.
Since many people go out partying with their friends on New Year’s Eve, many people use New Year’s Day to visit family members. New Year’s Day is also when many people start on their New Year’s resolutions. A resolution is a promise to change a lifestyle habit. The most common resolution is to lose weight. Many people also join gyms as part of their resolutions.
On New Year’s Day there are also parades such as the famous Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, where all the floats are made of different colored roses and they compete for awards. Many people also watch college and professional football games, including the Rose Bowl, which is also held in Pasadena, California.
