“Happy New Year!” Everyone will greet each other with these words as they meet when New Year has come. But it wasn’t always January 1st that marked the new year.

At least 4，000 years ago， the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians marked the change of the year. In Egypt， the year started when the Nile River flooded， enriching farmers’ fields with silt （淤泥）. This happened at the end of September.

On March 23rd， the Babylonians held a festival in the spring to mark the next farming cycle. It lasted for 11 days. The date January 1st was picked by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar as the change of the year when he established his own calendar in 46 BC. January was named after the Roman god， Janus. He is pictured with two heads. One head looks forward and the other back. They represent a break between the old and new.

Around the world， different cultures have their own traditions for welcoming the new year. For example， the Japanese like to hang straw rope across the front of their houses to keep out evil spirits and bring happiness and big luck. They also have a big laugh as the year begins to get things started on a lucky note.

In India， people like to wear pink， red， purple and white flowers to welcome the New Year. Women favour yellow， the colour of spring. Indians also leave shrines next to their beds， then they can see beautiful objects when they wake up， for the good fortune of the New Year.

Canadians enjoy the traditional polar bear swim. People of all ages put on their swimsuits and jump into frozen lakes.

In Britain， an extra round of football game is played (unless New Year’s Day falls on a Thursday， Friday or Sunday).

In Pasadena， California， the United States， the Parade of Roses is held on New Year’s Day. People watch the parade on the streets or on television at home， followed by the “Rose Bowl” college football game.

The most important holiday in China is the New Year. Since it is based on the lunar calendar， it comes about a month later than the Western New Year. People clean houses thoroughly， and families all get together for the festivities. All debts must be paid off (還清)， so that the New Year can start with a fresh beginning. There are lively dragon and lion dances in the streets. Everywhere there is the sound of firecrackers (鞭炮) explosions. Children receive gifts of red paper with money inside them.

“新年快樂(lè)！”新年到來(lái)時(shí)，人們會(huì)用這樣的話相互祝福新年的來(lái)臨。不過(guò)，歷史上，新年并非總是從1月1日開始的。

至少在4000年以前，古埃及人和古巴倫人就開始標(biāo)記一年的更替了。在埃及，9月底泛濫的尼羅河給農(nóng)田帶來(lái)了肥沃的淤泥，人們把尼羅河泛濫的時(shí)節(jié)作為一年的開始。

古巴比倫人在3月23日慶祝一個(gè)為期11天的節(jié)日。這個(gè)節(jié)日標(biāo)志著下一個(gè)農(nóng)耕周期的開始。公元前46年，羅馬愷撒大帝在制定一直沿用至今的太陽(yáng)歷的時(shí)候，把1月1日選作一年之始。1月(January) 這個(gè)名字取自羅馬的門神雅努斯(Janus)。雅努斯有兩個(gè)頭，一個(gè)頭朝前看，另一個(gè)往后看，象征著時(shí)間的新舊交替。

世界上各種不同的文化都擁有自己獨(dú)特的慶祝新年的傳統(tǒng)方式。例如，日本人喜歡把稻草掛在房子前面，據(jù)說(shuō)可以驅(qū)邪避鬼，帶來(lái)好運(yùn)。新年伊始，他們還開懷大笑，祈求一年開開心心，順順利利。

在印度，人們喜歡戴上粉紅、紅色、紫色和白色的花兒迎接新年的到來(lái)。女人喜歡代表春天色彩的黃花兒。印度人還把圣物箱放在床前，這樣，一覺(jué)醒來(lái)，他們就能看到圣物箱里漂亮的小玩意兒，以求新年大吉大利。

加拿大人熱衷于傳統(tǒng)的“北極熊游泳”。不論老少，人們都穿起泳衣，跳進(jìn)冰冷的湖水中暢游一番。

在英國(guó)，人們會(huì)在新年當(dāng)天加一輪英式橄欖球賽（除非這一天正好是周四、周五或周日）。

在美國(guó)加州的帕薩迪納市，人們?cè)谛履戤?dāng)天舉行“玫瑰游行”，這天會(huì)有很多市民上街或在家觀看。游行結(jié)束后緊跟著會(huì)有“玫瑰碗”大學(xué)橄欖球比賽。

在中國(guó)，最重要的節(jié)日就是新年了。中國(guó)按農(nóng)歷算，比西方的新年大約晚一個(gè)月。人們會(huì)把房間大掃除，家人團(tuán)聚一起慶祝新年。年底要償還所有債務(wù)，這樣新年就會(huì)有新氣象。大街上還會(huì)有舞龍、舞獅的活動(dòng)，到處都是鞭炮聲，孩子們?cè)谶@一天還會(huì)收到紅包。