New Year's Day

New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year. Almost every country celebrates this day as a holiday. Many people make New Year's resolutions to break old habits or to create new ones.

Julius Caesar established January 1 as New Year's Day in 46 B.C. The day was dedicated to Janus, the god of gates, doors, and beginnings. The month of January was named after Janus.

Many American colonists celebrated the new year by firing guns into the air and shouting. Some attended church services and others held open houses, welcoming their friends and feeding them.

Modern customs on New Year's Day include visiting friends, giving gifts, attending church services and making noise with horns, bells and other devices. In the United States, many people go to New Year's Eve parties. Thousands gather at Times Square in New York City or other public places. At midnight, bells ring, sirens sound, firecrackers explode and everyone shouts, "Happy New Year!"

SONGS, POEMS AND FINGERPLAYS

1. January Days
   January days are cold,
   January days are bold,
   January snow is deep,
   And beneath,
   Spring lies asleep!
   ~Regina Sauro~
   
   
2. A Snowball
   Make your fingers a scooper
   And scoop up the snow,
   Pack it,
   Round it,
   Pack it,
   Round it,
   Back your arm and throw!
   ~Dorothy Anderson~
   
   
3. Winter Puzzle
   A bear wears fur
   From head to toe,
   And shouldn't mind
   The sleet and snow.
   But he goes in
   A hole and stays
   Through all the cold
   And snowy days.
   
   Compared to a bear
   I'm very thin--
   With coat and cap
   And my bare skin.
   And do I find
   A hole and hide?
   Oh, no! I run
   And play outside!
   ~Lillie Chaffin~
   
   
4. If I Owned
   If I owned all the calendars
   I'd change them quite a lot;
   I'd save some of the winter's cold
   For days that are too hot!
   ~Gina Bell Zano~
   
   
5. January
   January opens
   The box of the year
   And brings out days
   That are bright and clear,
   And brings out days
   That are cold and gray,
   And shouts, "Come see
   What I broght today!"
   ~Leland B. Jacobs~
   
   
6. The Snowman's Resolution
   The snowman's hat was crooked
   And his nose was out of place
   And several of his whiskers
   Had fallen from his face.
   
   But the snowman didn't notice
   For he was trying to think
   Of a New Year's resolution
   That wouldn't melt or shrink.
   
   He thought and planned and pondered
   With his little snow-ball head
   Till his eyes began to glisten
   And his toes began to spread;
   
   And at last he said, "I've got it---
   I'll make a firm resolve
   That no matter what the weather
   My smile will not dissolve."
   
   But the snowman acted wisely
   And his resolution won
   For his splinter smile was wooden
   And it didn't mind the sun!
   ~Aileen Fisher~