24 Insane Traditions and Facts about New Year’s

1.

A group of Dutchmen celebrating the New Year caused an explosion so powerful that it destroyed all the windows of a hotel and damaged two other properties. Within five days, social media fundraising efforts raised €1,170 for the property owners and €24,000 for the perpetrators.

2.

Back in Roman times, they used to celebrate the new year in the month of the first harvest after winter, which was March. That makes March the first month of the year, and Sept Oct Nov, and Dec indeed the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th months.

3.

Actor Rip Torn's father was one of the people responsible for promoting black-eyed peas, which is now a staple of New Year's Day

4.

The residents of the Spanish village Villar de Corneja near Avila, where the average age is 75, toast the New Year 12 hours before the rest of their countrymen in a collective decision to get to bed at a decent hour.

5.

Bōnenkai is a Japanese drinking party that is organized at the end of a year. It literally translates to "forget the year gathering" and is meant to forget the woes and troubles of the past year, and hopefully look to the new year

6.

In a small Welsh village, New Year’s Day is celebrated on the 13th of January. A horse’s skull is paraded around on a pole as part of the celebration.

7.

There is a centuries-old new year's festival in a North East of England village whereby barrels of tar are set alight and carried through the village, at the stroke of midnight the barrels are thrown into the Bar'l bonfire and everyone shouts “Be damned to he who throws last!”

8.

The 1977 disco hit "Le Freak" was developed after the guitarist and bassist of the band Chic were rudely denied entry into the mega-popular Studio 54 on New Year’s Eve 1977

9.

For $255,500, you can buy a package that lets you celebrate New Year's Eve in Sydney from 8pm - 2am, then fly on a private jet that arrives in Los Angeles at 8:30 pm Dec. 31st, where you can celebrate New Year's Eve all over again.

10.

In the Antebellum South, slaves dreaded January 1 -- A.K.A. "Heartbreak Day" -- because New Year's Day was traditionally when debts were settled, resulting in black families being torn apart as slave owners sold or rented slaves out long-term to pay back those they owed money to.

11.

On New Year’s Eve, residents of the Hillbrow suburb in Johannesburg, South Africa, throw unwanted furniture out their window to celebrate the holiday

12.

The New Year's confetti at Times Square is literally made of people’s hopes and dreams; the Times Square Visitor Center wall is open year-round for people to put Post-Its up with their next year’s wishes, which are made into confetti

13.

Every New Year's Day from 1801 to 1932 (except during Wilson's presidency) a White House reception was held in which the public lined up to shake the president's hand. The line was often several blocks long and the president was expected to shake hands with everyone.

14.

The Space Shuttle never flew on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day before 2006 because its computers couldn’t handle a calendar year rollover. Instead, it was believed a date counting discrepancy between the shuttle clock and its backup would force a shutdown of all systems while in space.

15.

In the USA, the annual peaks for cardiac deaths are on Christmas and New Year's Day. Among the possible reasons: delay in seeking medical attention; reduced heаlthcare staff; increased emotional stress; overindulgence on food/salt/fats/alcohol; respiratory problems from wood-burning fireplaces

16.

In the distant past, it would still be 2020! Early on, the American colonies used the Julian calendar which started the legal year on March 25th. It wasn't until 1752 that we changed to the Gregorian calendar which starts the new year on January 1st.

17.

A suicide bomber planned on detonating in Moscow on New Year's Eve and used her phone as the trigger. When her mobile phone company sent her a spam message, the bomb detonated, killing only herself.

18.

Jamie Kennedy's 2013 new years eve special was a sh*tshow where Macy Gray showed up drunk, everyone missed a bunch of cues and they were late for the new years countdown before a fight broke out during the end credits.

19.

Grateful Dead played the final concert at the iconic Winterland venue in San Francisco on New Years’ Eve 1978 which lasted over 8 hours. The guests were treated to a hot buffet breakfast at dawn when the show ended.

20.

Every year since 1999 Netherlands has voted for the best 2000 songs in history. They are then to be played on the radio in the week leading up to New Year's Eve. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen has won every year except 4 times.

21.

At 12:00 a.m. on New Years’ Eve 2017, three men pulled off a 6 MILLION dollar jewelry heist only a half-mile from Times Square and 7,000 NYPD officers. Police said the men waited till midnight, when the officers would be the busiest, to break into KGK Holding Jewelry.

22.

A cat named Moon Unit disappeared from a London New Year’s Eve party in 2007 and was found eight years later—in Paris.

23.

In Korea, everyone is 1 from the time they are born. And everyone gets a year older on New Year's Day. So your Korean age is always either one or two years older than your Western age.

24.

On New Year’s Eve, Paramedics in New Orleans, LA are required to wear Kevlar-infused combat helmets for the 15 minutes before and after midnight because of the frequency of falling bullets.