New Year's around the world

Every New Year brings those well intentioned New Year's resolutions. The prospects of losing weight, getting a higher GPA, starting a meditation program and other lofty ideas all seem to swarm people's minds.

Also on the gamut of things to do is, of course, celebrating the New Year. Different cultures and religions celebrate in different ways, and not all cultures have their New Year's festivities at the start of the calendar year.

It may come as a surprise to some that many cultures spend the New Year like most Americans do, while others have very different traditions.

The Chinese New Year, for example, is a 15-day celebration where the whole nation feels connected. The Chinese determine their New Year by the Chinese New Year Calendar, also called the Lunar New Year. 2009 is the year of the ox and festivities will start Jan. 26. In China, people are allowed to take a week's vacation to enjoy the coming New Year, allowing them to commemorate with family and friends; feasting throughout the holiday.

In Greece, celebrants of the New Year mark the special day by sharing loaves of sweet bread that contain a special ingredient-a coin. After slicing the bread at midnight, whoever gets the coin in their piece of traditional sweet bread is said to have good luck for the New Year.

For Muslims, New Year's is a quiet time; a time to gather in mosques and dargahs while praying for peace and offering special prayers. The Islamic calendar is based on revolutions of the moon, which makes the Islamic calendar only 354 days long. The New Year is celebrated on the first day of Muharram, the first Islamic month. Muslims celebrate and pay homage on this day to the Prophet Muhammad.

Japan starts off their New Year with spotless houses. Cleaning on the eve of New Year's is said to cleanse the house of all kinds of evils for the New Year. The Japanese also adorn their front doors with sticks of bamboo for good fortune. A feast of veggies, seafood and dessert, all eaten in one dish, is tradition. After New Year's Day, all of Japan writes down their dreams for the next year.

Like the U.S., Russia celebrates its New Year on Jan. 1, but they have a twist. Take Christmas, mix it with a bowl of New Year's jubilee and you have a fun, festive way of celebrating the turning of a new year. Russia goes all out with trees adorned with decorations, along with gifts, fireworks and cooking meals that consist of mostly meats and potatoes. Santa apparently doesn't stop in Russia, but they welcome the arrival of Father Frost and his granddaughter, Snegurochka. No lumps of coal are given when Father Frost is around; instead, he threatens to freeze bad children.

Mexico celebrates the Fiesta de los Reyes with a special King's Cake, which is a circular cake made to symbolize a crown. A doll is hidden somewhere in the dough and whoever finds it is said to be the king for the day. After picking a queen, the pair then throws a party on Feb. 2 for Candlemas.

New Year's is a huge holiday, and in some countries, the holiday is bigger than Christmas. Scotland and Wales consider New Year's to be an important occasion and both celebrate with feasts. In Wales, the official New Year is on Jan. 13, and on this day the Welsh enjoy roast goose and puddings of potatoes and rice.

Whether food, prayer, a frosty blue man or the dropping of a ball is involved, New Year's is a big celebration for cultures all around the world. The one common thread that binds us all is our hope for a fresh start to a brand new season. It is that hope to start anew that makes New Year's something special.