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In every hardship, we discover the ability to endure
Challenges remind us not to overlook the smallness of happiness
Life is a roadmap with challenges as directional signs
Every challenge is an invitation to become better than before
In difficult times, we find the strength to help others
The New Year's kiss started with the Romans.
Although things got a little friskier back then, ancient Romans are credited with the kissing tradition because of their Saturnalia festival. It was a celebration honoring Saturn, the god of time, where all social norms went out the window. Many of the celebrations influenced the Christmas and New Year's festivities that became the focus when Christianity took over the Roman Empire.
The island nation Kiribati rings in the new year first.
Kiribati, also known as Christmas Island, is located in the Central Pacific. They celebrate throughout the nation at each village's maneaba or meeting house, where all social and political activity takes place.
...while American Samoa is one of the last places to ring in the new year.
American Samoa is actually the second to last place to celebrate the new year behind Baker and Howland Island, which are both uninhabited. Some tourists take advantage of the time difference by flying from Samoa to American Samoa to celebrate twice.
New Year's is terrifying for children in Akita, Japan.
There's a local tradition called Namahage where grown men dress up like demons to scare children into behaving for their parents. They go from house to house yelling things like "Are there any crybabies at home?" or "Are naughty kids around?"
If you live in Italy, wearing red underwear is considered lucky.
Wearing red underwear on New Year's will supposedly bring good fortune in the coming year. It's also considered the color of fertility so for those hoping to conceive, it's considered double lucky.
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Grapes are also supposedly lucky.
Spanish households carry on the tradition of scarfing down 12 grapes in the first 12 seconds of the new year. The grapes represent each month of the year. Rumor has it that this whole thing started as a marketing tactic for winemakers looking to sell more grapes in the winter.
And so are pork and black-eyed peas.
The fattiness of pork symbolizes wealth and the peas are believed to bring good fortune because they swell when cooked which is why they're both popular foods to eat on New Year's Eve.
But stay away from lobster and chicken.
Lobster and chicken are both considered bad luck foods. According to superstition, if because of a lobster's ability to move backward and a chicken's ability to scratch itself backwards, if you eat either on New Year's, you won't be able to move forward. So, bring on the bacon!
Round or ring-shaped foods hold special meaning.
Incorporating a round food into your New Year's meal symbolizes that the year has come full circle. Hello, donuts and bagels.
Ancient Babylonians celebrated New Year's in March.
The new year used to coincide with the arrival of spring. A 12-day festival called Akitu marked the occasion, which was more about praying than it was about finding a midnight kiss.
Challenges teach us to remain humble in the midst of success
Life is an adventure filled with intriguing challenges
We learn to appreciate life through the challenges we face
Challenges make us assess our priorities and life goals
In every defeat, we find the wisdom to move forward
Every challenge is a call to grow better
And Ethiopia rings in the new year on September 11.
Their calendar began in the eighth year of the common era (when our year counting started). This solar calendar derived from the Egyptians consists of 13 months.
The French invented a new calendar during the revolution.
The French Republican Calendar was used during the revolution and for 12 years after to reflect the country's "new age of liberty." It was designed using a decimal system and was also briefly resurrected during the Paris Commune in 1871.
AAA offers free rides home.
Don't worry about surge pricing. If you've had too much to drink on New Year's Eve (and other holidays), AAA in most states offer free rides home to people who've had one too many flutes of champagne to drive.
A song that takes 1,000 years to play launched on January 1, 2000.
Composer Jem Finer wrote the piece called "Longplayer," which can be heard at London's Trinity Buoy Wharf (or over this live stream). It's being performed by singing bowls and is set to start all over again immediately after it finishes in 2999.
Antarctica hosts an Annual New Year's Music Festival.
Anarctica's annual IceStock music festival may be one of the coolest (pun intended) ways to spend New Year's. The event is held at McMurdo Station, Antarctica when the local population balloons to over 1,200 people during their summer months.