NewYear'sDayfallsonJanuary1andmarksthestartofanewyearaccordingtotheGregoriancalendar.ItmarkstheendofNewYear'sEvecelebrationsintheUnitedStatesandgivesmanyAmericansachancetorememberthepreviousyear.

　　ThestartofNewYear'sDay,atmidnight,isheraldedbyfireworks,partiesandspecialevents,whichareoftentelevised.Veryfewpeoplehavetoworkonthedayitself.FormanyitisadayofrecoveryfromtheNewYear'sEvecelebrationsthepreviousnight.Insometownsandcities,paradesareheldandspecialfootballgamesareplayed.ThebirthofthefirstbabyintheNewYearisoftencelebratedwithgiftstohisorherparentsandappearancesinlocalnewspapersandonlocalnewsshows.ManypeoplemakeNewYear'sresolutions.Theseareusuallypromisestothemselvesthattheywillimprovesomethingintheirownlives.CommonNewYear'sresolutionsaretostopsmokingordrinkingalcohol,toloseweight,exercisemoreortoliveahealthierlifestyle.

　　Governmentoffices,organizations,schoolsandmanybusinessesareclosedintheUSAonNewYear'sDay.Publictransitsystemsdonotrunontheirregularschedules.Wherelargepubliccelebrationshavebeenheld,trafficmaybedisruptedbytheclean-upoperation.Ingeneral,publiclifeiscompletelycloseddown.

　　TheGregoriancalendariswidelyusedinmanycountriessuchastheUnitedStates.Thiswasintroducedin1582byPopeGregoryXIII.TheJuliancalendarthathadbeeninuseuntilthenwasslightlyinaccurate,causingthevernalequinoxtomovebackwardsinthecalendaryear.TheGregoriancalendarwasnotacceptedeverywhereandsomechurches,particularlywithoriginsinEasternEurope,stilluseothercalendars.AccordingtotheGregoriancalendar,thefirstdayoftheyearisJanuary1.

　　AcommonsymbolofNewYear'sDayisBabyNewYear.Thisisoftenawhitemalebabydressedinadiaper,ahatandasash.Theyearherepresentsisprintedonhissash.Herarelyanewbornbaby,asmanypicturesshowhimsittinguporevenstandingalone.Accordingtomythology,BabyNewYeargrowsupandagesinasingleyear.AttheendoftheyearheisanoldmanandhandshisroleovertothenextBabyNewYear.OthersymbolsofNewYear'sDayarespectacularfireworksexplodingoverlandmarksandclocksstrikingmidnightastheyearbegins.