12-31-2008
1904 - The first New Year’s Eve celebration was held in Times Square, then known as Longacre Square, in NYC
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And from the Old Farmers Almanac:
If there is no wind on New Year’s Day, the summer will be dry; if there’s a good breeze, there will be rain enough for a decent crop.
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Mentalfloss.com had a great blog about Hangover cures! From B-12, to food, to pickle juice, even to Meundo (no not the singing group…well you really don’t want to know.) See the cures here..or decide to not drink or keep the hangover! # Wacky Things that Get Dropped on New Year’s Eve! And there are some strange festivals too! From the Peep show in Bethlehem Pa, to sausage fests in Ohio, and wait till you see what the drop in Key West!
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New Years Eve, and it’s resolution time for some. Here are some tips from Marie Claire to help you make them stick! From writing it down, to getting a buddy involved, and of course making it manageable!
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New Years probably has the most superstitions surrounding it, and Snopes.com has a great list of them. From Kissing at midnight, to paying bills, even who should be the first thru the door on New Years. There are many food superstitions as well, and this one deals with grapes:
For a long time, Spanish people have had a traditional custom of celebrating New Year’s Eve. On the last day of the year, the 31st of December, they wait until twelve p.m. Everybody has to have twelve grapes ready to eat when the clock starts to chime. It is traditional to eat them as you hear the clock from Puerta del Sol in Madrid chiming. When it is midnight, each time the clock chimes, they put a grape in their mouth. By the time the clock has finished chiming, everybody has to have finished their grapes and the New Year starts, but nobody ever finishes eating the grapes on time, and they start looking at each other and have to laugh. This tradition started in Spain because one year when there was a big grape harvest, the king of Spain decided to give grapes to everybody to eat on New Year’s Eve.
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Noisemaking at midnight on New Year’s Eve, is another tradition. Now looked upon as mere revelry, it once was considered protection against evil spirits, who would be scared off by all of the noise. Beware of the devil and his minnions! BUT!!!!!
Whistling, however, is strictly taboo; to whistle is to converse with the devil or invite him in. Sailors, actors and actresses, and miners are particularly cognizant of the ill luck associated with whistling. On board ship, whistling is thought to raise a storm. In the theatre, it is believed to close the show prematurely. For miners, it is a sign of alarm.
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