New year arrives with many traditions, resolutions

People celebrate New Years in multiple ways, from parties to watching a ball drop as the countdown from 60 seconds decreases. 

Another common way to celebrate the New Year is by making resolutions for the New Year. People make goals that they want to achieve in the next year.

Evalie Charlton, a sophomore, said “My new year’s resolution is to complete the Bible in a year challenge.” 

In the 200s BC, the Babylonians celebrated the New Year with their 12-day festival. They lived in Babylonia. They call the festival Akitu because the word comes from a Sumerian word that relates to barley. It is ákiti. It means a spring festival, celebrating a time of rebirth. They celebrate Marduk’s victory and remember what he did. Marduk is the supreme god of ancient Babylonian mythology. He is known as the creator of God who defeated Tiamat. Tiamat is a god of the ancient saltwater sea and chaos.

Charlton said, “Every year I go over to a friend’s house to create vision boards for the year.” 

After 152 BC the start of the month of January became when they celebrated the New Year because of the rebellion in Hispania which started the Celtiberian War. Religious celebrations still happened around March for the New Year. 

Charlton said, “My favorite memory is creating vision boards with friends and setting goals.”

All over the world, people celebrate New Year’s in different ways. In Canada, a unique way to celebrate the New Year is for people to willingly jump into icy water to raise money for charity. Buefort, South Carolina has a mannequin pirate named Captain Shack, who walks the plank and then plunges into Taylor’s Creek. Eastport, Maine, lowers a large sardine, and a large maple leaf is lowered near the Canadian border. In Las Cruces, New Mexico, they have a 19-foot green Chile drop. In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, they drop a 400-pound Little Peeps Chick. In Prescott, Arizona, a 6-foot cowboy boot drops. In Eureka Springs, Arkansas, they drop an LED water droplet.