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Article: It's party time across the globe; The birth of a new year holds significance for people of all nations. Alun Prichard ,Abigail Hughes and Gareth Bicknell take a whirlwind trip to see how it's celebrated worldwide.(Features)
- Article from:
- Daily Post (Liverpool, England)
- Article date:
- January 1, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 MGN Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Alun Prichard ,Abigail Hughes and Gareth Bicknell
NEW Year was first celebrated by the ancient Babylonians in around 2000 BC. While most of the western world follows the Gregorian calendar,beginning each new year on January 1, this date has no astronomical or agricultural significance.
The Babylonians saw spring as the natural time to start a new cycle, so their year began with the first new moon after the Vernal Equinox.
To celebrate the New Year, the king was stripped of his robes for a few days while the people partied. And while binge-drinking Britons will be nursing industrial hangovers this morning -the perennial effect of the ...