Winter Holidays and Winter Themes: New Year's

Frightened into sleeplessness by the noisy celebration of the Chinese New Year, a young girl takes comfort in her grandmother's soothing story of a dragon, a mother's sorrow, and Buddha.

Among the world's myriad cultures and their associated calendars, the idea of a "New Year" is relative and hardly specifies a universal celebration or even a universal point in time. Ways of celebrating the New Year range from the observances of religious rituals and superstitions to social gatherings featuring particular foods, music, dancing, noisemaking, fireworks and drinking. This first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to the New Year includes 320 entries that give a global perspective on the New Year, beyond its traditional Western associations with Christmas. National or regional entries detail the principal traditions and customs of 130 countries, while 27 entries discuss major calendar systems in current use or of significant historical interest. The remaining entries cover a wide variety of subjects including literary works, movies, and television specials; the customs of specific ethnic groups; universal customs such as toasting and drinking; football bowl games and parades; and the New Year celebrations at the White House and the Vatican.

The preparations for the joyous New Year’s Day celebrations of Roch’s childhood began long before winter came. In the summer, his grandmother made her cherry wine. The neighboring villagers painted and repaired their sleighs in anticipation of the winter’s parade. When the big day finally arrives, it is a whirlwind of activity: the cooking and eating of the lavish feast, the arrival of visitors and distant relatives, the singing and dancing, and the family blessing. In the end, Roch knows who to thank for such a wonderful day.

An overview of Lunar New Year, from the origin of the celebration to how it is practiced today. Clear, interesting text and vibrant photos grab and hold readers' interest, and QR Codes in each chapter link to book-specific videos, activities, and more. Features include a table of contents, fun facts, a timeline, an infographic, Making Connections questions, a glossary, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. DiscoverRoo is an imprint of Pop!, a division of ABDO.

In this segment of 60 Minutes, commentator Andy Rooney discusses the pressure to have fun on New Year's Eve.

n this segment of 60 Minutes, commentator Andy Rooney's New Year's resolution is to try to not get ahead with anything.

This outstanding documentary is placed in Northern India among a group of Tibetan refugees. They celebrate the New Year, following a ritual of their religion, Bonpo, which is older than Buddhism.

Newsreel from 1939 of New Year's holiday celebrations in the Netherlands.

A short newsreel of New Year's celebrations in the Netherlands in 1945.