On the night of December 31 to January 1, the most beloved holiday in the whole world is celebrated - New Year. New Year's Eve is a symbol of renewal, the beginning of a new life cycle, so people look forward to it, anticipating new important changes. The first New Year was celebrated in Mesopotamia, and then the tradition of the national holiday spread to the Jews, Greeks and further to Europe. Each nation considered the beginning of the new year in its own way. Some peoples began to celebrate in March, others immediately after the end of agricultural work. Some from the day of the creation of the world, others from the founding of their country. And finally, Julius Caesar in 46 BC declared the New Year's day to be January 1. The holiday was dedicated to Janus, the two-faced God, which was considered quite symbolic, since one of his faces looked back, following the passing year, and the second looked with proud confidence into the future, welcoming a new life. The first month of the year is named January in honor of the same two-faced pagan deity. In Russia, since the adoption of Christianity, the New Year was celebrated in March, sometimes at the behest of the church, it fell on Easter. John III, in 1492, combined the church and folk holiday and moved it to September 1. This day was not so festive for the people, since on this day dues, taxes, and fees for the whole year were collected. But on September 1, anyone could directly turn to the sovereign with a request or complaint, and he listened without hindrance and tried to help. In 1700, Tsar Peter changed the date of celebration to January 1. The Tsar was known for his love for the European way of life and tried to adopt as much as possible from his Western brothers. And Russia began to celebrate New Year's Eve from December 31 to January 1. The great reformer personally supervised the preparations of his subjects, trying to be no different from their Western neighbors. New Year's Eve began to look like a fairytale dream, lights, illuminations, fireworks, all these favorite holiday decorations appeared under Peter I, and still bring joy to people. Festive table, splashes of champagne, a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, garlands, balls, songs, round dances, fun all night long, and, of course, the most long-awaited guest - Santa Claus. Adults and children look forward to the New Year holidays with special excitement and hearts full of hope. New Year is a family holiday, so on this night the whole family, young and old, gathers around a noisy table. Each family has its own special traditions, gifts and wishes for each other. Kids anxiously unwrap packages with gifts from under the Christmas tree, while adults make their deepest wishes as the chimes strike and make plans for the future.

If on December 31st the whole world celebrates the New Year, then the next morning the whole world suffers from a hangover. It is not surprising that January 1 became the international hangover day, when thousands of martyrs, like tired travelers in a desert scorched by the scorching sun, dream of a sip of water. December 31st marks the end of New Year's preparations. Companies organize corporate parties, friends gather in restaurants and clubs, and homebodies throw parties in a narrow family circle. New Year is a holiday that evokes awe not only among young children who eagerly await the visit of Grandfather Frost with a bag of gifts. The atmosphere of the main winter celebration easily captivates adults, who secretly begin to believe in miracles. The smell of tangerine combined with the tart notes of pine needles brings back warm memories from childhood. The festive table on this day is decorated with traditional Olivier, which has long become an unspoken symbol of the New Year. Between the plates of cold cuts, which are arranged in fancy compositions, a herring shyly hides under a warm beet coat. Standing apart on the festive table as the main delicacy are dishes with an exquisite delicacy - sandwiches with red caviar and fish. And what would New Year be without aspic and potatoes with meat, but in addition to gastronomic abundance, orderly rows of bottles with strong drinks adorn the tablecloth - champagne, wine, liqueurs, cognac. On New Year's Day, those celebrating do not deny themselves the pleasure of trying a couple of glasses of strong alcohol, but not everyone can stop on time, so in the morning there comes a time of reckoning for the violent libations of the day before. Nausea, dizziness, weakness, ringing in the ears, dry mouth - these are just a few of the symptoms of a hangover, which sometimes torments even after one glass of wine. The British were the first to propose the idea of ​​celebrating such an extraordinary holiday. The prim inhabitants of Foggy Albion know a lot about drinking, so they are well acquainted with the consequences of libations. The initiator of adding hangover day to the calendar was the British company Bayer HealthCare. In our country, few are familiar with the name of this brand, but almost everyone has heard about its main product - the hangover remedy Alka-Seltzer. The company initially proposed celebrating this holiday on February 21, 2001, to coincide with the anniversary of Alka-Seltzer, which then turned exactly 70 years old. Bayer HealthCare has published a number of useful tips for dealing with hangovers. However, marketers soon realized their mistake. Why create a new holiday on a product's anniversary when we already have a day set aside for it? Now all lovers of strong drinks can have a good drink the day before, so that on January 1 they will definitely have something to fight with. Each body reacts to alcohol in its own way, so a hangover can be accompanied by different symptoms. Bayer HealthCare recommends drinking, but in moderation. This advice did not reveal anything new, but the company’s specialists also gave a couple of unexpected recommendations. So, for example, it is better to eat every glass with plenty of fatty foods, which are usually in abundance on the New Year's table. The load on the liver will, of course, increase, but this will slow down the absorption of alcohol into the blood. Before going to bed, it is advisable to drink a couple of glasses of cold water. Ethanol dehydrates the body, which is why you are so thirsty in the morning after drinking. A glass of water will help at least partially avoid the unpleasant feeling of dry mouth. You can also treat yourself to unusual cocktails if your hands can still hold a shaker. The British recommend trying exotic drinks with honey, mint and onions, garlic and cucumber. You can also drink a glass of natural yogurt, but in our country, cucumber pickle still ranks first in terms of effectiveness.

The Day of Ilya Muromets (Avegi of Perun) is celebrated on January 1st. The epic hero from ancient legends, on the tales of which a great many generations of people grew up, actually existed. This man, endowed with remarkable strength, was born in the village of Karacharovo, not far from the city of Murom. In those days, in this territory, there lived tribes of Finno-Ugrians, whose neighbors, the Meadow Mari, even today adhere to the beliefs of their ancestors - that is, they are pagans. In many old Slavic legends, Ilya Muromets is identified with Perun himself. Despite his wide popularity among many Slavic (and not only) peoples, the personality of Ilya Muromets remains very mysterious and mysterious. The epic hero of the Russian epic is famous for his numerous exploits, about which legends and songs were composed. Despite such fame and glory, the name of the hero is not mentioned in any Russian chronicle. At the same time, Ilya Muromets is one of the most popular heroes not only of our epics. His name appears frequently in German epic poems of the 13th century, all of which were written based on other, earlier tales. In each such legend, the image of Ilya Muromets is unchanged - he appears before us as a mighty knight, a courageous defender of the fatherland, a fearless and invincible hero.

Over the entire history of mankind, a great many true masterpieces have emerged - pearls of world art. The entire population of the planet has the opportunity to admire, listen, and see them, but, unfortunately, they do not have the right to use them for any personal purposes, since all these creations are protected by copyright laws. In the United States, no matter how many years have passed since the appearance of the work, and since the death of its author, any work will remain the property of this author until 2019, due to the peculiarities of their legislation. But in many European countries, after 70 years from the date of death of the author of any work of art, his creation forever passes into the possession of the people. That is, any person can write words to the greatest melody of a brilliant composer, turn the poems of any poet into a beautiful song, make a film based on any masterpiece of world literature, the main thing is that 70 years have already passed since the death of the author. Since it is customary to count down from the first day of each year, it was customary to set the date of this unofficial holiday on January 1. Thus, January 1 of every year is celebrated as Public Domain Day. The idea to introduce this day was submitted by a public figure from Canada, Wallace MacLean, in 2004. This holiday was also supported by Lawrence Lessig, founder of the Creative Commons organization, and soon the idea was supported by many European countries and large companies. Soon it was decided to publish annually a list of works that become public domain and the names of their creators. This catalog was first compiled on January 1, 2010. Thus, citizens can know exactly which masterpieces of world art have now become publicly available, without any restrictions. Of course, the copyright legislation of each country has its own differences, but despite this, this day is becoming increasingly popular. At the moment, a website has even been created for this holiday with a complete list of all the creations of mankind, which are already in the public domain of every person on the planet. The significance of this holiday is very great, since free access to masterpieces of art can give a significant impetus to the development of new directions and the emergence of works of existing genres of art. It can also become a good tool in matters of artistic education of all nations and the popularization of art among the masses. January 1 of every year is not just the first day in the calendar, but also the day when every culturally enlightened person becomes a little richer, gaining free access to truly priceless things.

Every year on January 1, residents of the European Union celebrate Euro Day, the unified monetary unit of the association that came into circulation at the beginning of the 3rd millennium. It is used daily by 334 million Europeans living in 16 countries, including the Republics of Cyprus and Malta. The League of Nations first discussed a proposal to introduce a single European currency in 1929. In accordance with the rules, she developed a step-by-step plan. In the late 1960s, the European Economic Community again began discussing a type of currency that would suit all European countries. In 1979, several countries adopted the European Monetary System (EMS). Exchange rates were fixed on the European Currency Unit (abbr. ECU). In 1988, France, Italy and the European Commission supported a monetary union with a central bank. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher spoke out against this proposal. Despite the lack of support from the United Kingdom, the creation of a single currency for European countries moved forward in 1992. Three years later, the European Council approved the name of the monetary unit - “euro”. At midnight on January 1, 1999, it was introduced into non-cash circulation. Europeans saw the new banknotes and coins “live” on January 1, 2002. Since then they have celebrated Euro Day every year. The designs for the banknotes of the first series were invented by the Austrian Robert Kalina, who won an international European competition. They are identical in all eurozone countries. The banknotes depict elements of architectural structures from different eras. Many Europeans are happy that they have their own currency. One way to celebrate the holiday is to spend your accumulated euros. But if you don't feel like doing this, spend your day usefully: • Familiarize yourself with the history of currency, which plays an important role throughout the world. • Take an interest in other types of monetary units, find out how long ago they have been used and by which countries. • Read how currency is prepared for issue and distribution. Euro Day is a good reason to learn more about the countries of the European Union. Although they all share the same currency, each has its own unique customs, history and culture. Share your knowledge with social media users using the hashtag #EuroDay.

According to the folk calendar, January 1 (December 19, old style) is the day of Ilya of Muromets. In the church calendar, this day is dedicated to the memory of St. Elijah of Pechersk, the miracle worker of Murom. It was the monk Elijah, who lived in the 12th century, who became the prototype of the legendary hero. Since childhood, the future monk suffered from paralysis and could not move until he was 30 years old. Then unknown elders came to him and asked him to bring water. Elijah replied that he could not walk, then the request was repeated as an order. An unprecedented force raised the young man to his feet, and he was able to bring water to the old men. Since then, Elijah led an active life, developing his body. It is known that Elijah was tall at that time and had unprecedented strength. He took part in the battles, but, miraculously surviving after being seriously wounded, he gave lunch to serve the Lord. Having become a monk in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Elijah did good deeds for people. It is believed that the character in the stories about Ilya Muromets, who defended the people from enemies, is described from Ilya of Pechersk. Therefore, people installed it on January 1st during the day. According to tradition, they bowed to their native land, thanking for the defenders. People believed that prayers to Ilya Muromets would help restore health, especially for those suffering from paralysis of the lower limbs and spine. January 1 was spent resting so that the coming year would be easy. Housewives refrained from cleaning so as not to sweep good luck out of the house. If anyone managed to walk around a tree backwards in a circle while riding a horse, he was expected to be faithful to his spouse. So that in the coming year they would not be bothered by lack of money, they looked for three unmarked graves in the cemetery and asked not to know poverty as well as the names of the dead. By the signs of Ilya Muromets they judged the coming weather. If the sky is clear and the stars are visible, then a berry harvest was expected in the summer. Lying snow on the street foreshadowed a large harvest of grain crops. For this day, similar weather was predicted for July.

Bright and colorful fireworks are an indispensable part of the holiday. Like sparklers with firecrackers that throw confetti and streamers into the air. According to a long-standing tradition, the loud sounds of fireworks are supposed to scare away evil spirits and other infernal entities whose peak activity occurs at night. New Year celebrations using pyrotechnics continue during daylight hours. Therefore, January 1 is celebrated as a funny Firecracker Release Day. From the depths of the cardboard sleeve, to the delight of adults and children, shiny confetti, rolls of streamers, and sometimes surprises burst out: inflatable balls, small figurines of animals and signs of the Zodiac. To activate the firecracker, you need to pull the string, loop or cord. The pyrotechnic device is triggered by using a mixture of berthollet salt and red phosphorus, which is sensitive to friction. It is believed that the cracker was invented in 1847 by the English confectioner Thomas Smith. The baker went down in history as the inventor of the "Christmas cracker" - a festive table decoration that makes a clicking sound when it is opened. Inside the tube, which resembles a large candy in a wrapper, Smith came up with the idea of ​​putting paper hats, jewelry, fans, a note with wishes and other little things. While breaking the cracker, sparks flew in all directions and a pop was heard, after which a surprise appeared to everyone's joy. Today, crackers in the form of huge candies, which must be broken into two parts by turning them in different directions, are used to put sweets, toys, jewelry, notes with riddles and other little things. Christmas crackers are made with your own hands or purchased in stores, broken at the festive table or at the spruce tree. The sound of a firecracker creates a playful and festive mood for people of all ages. Therefore, grateful descendants installed a memorial fountain in London in honor of Thomas Smith and his family. According to another version, the cracker appeared thanks to the tradition of using dry thin sticks that made loud sounds in China more than 2,000 years ago. "Baozhu" ("crackling bamboo") helped fight the mythical unicorn Nian - a wild and terrible beast that terrified the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire. According to legends, he devoured everything that came his way - crops, animals and even people. The red clothes, the noise of drums and fireworks were supposed to scare Nanny. In addition, the crackling sound of the baozhu helped to ward off wild animals, which often encroached on people's food supplies during the cold season. Fireworks make the heart skip a beat and delight the eye with colorful visual effects. Just as all fireworks in honor of the New Year must shoot into the sky, so all firecrackers must be released. Those who came up with an unusual holiday in honor of this pyrotechnic device, celebrated with noise and roar on January 1, are sure of this.

“Forgive, and you will find peace,” is the slogan of the Catholic holiday, established in 1967 by Pope Paul VI, who was canonized after his death. The purpose of the celebration, which is celebrated on January 1, is to end military conflicts and confrontations. Catholics ask God for this in their prayers.

Day of Mary - Queen of Peace, Solemnity of Mary for Catholics

International Nepali Dhoti and Topi Day

Liberation Day of Cuba, Triumph of the Revolution(Triunfo de la Revolucion)

National Flag Day of Lithuania (Lietuvos Veliavos diena)

Cameroon Independence Day

Orthodox holidays on January 1:

Memorial Day of the Holy Martyr Boniface of Tarsus

Memorial Day of St. Elijah of Muromets, Pechersk