January 1st. Morning, time of waking up unknown. You’re waking up, due to open blinds, light is your number 1 enemy. You squint. The room looks like a cross between a storage unit and a NASA hangar assembling Apollo—or maybe like a post-nuclear landscape, to the left. You’re fighting your pillow; bloodshot eyes are stinging while you ask yourself „What kind of madness is this? “ ☹ But you realize you’re the crazy one… For the first time this year, you looked at yourself in the bathroom mirror with both regret and pride. 

You’re proud because you survived the new year’s madness though you have no idea how it ended; you have a foggy memory and no idea what it was all about. Everything’s upside down, you missed the Vienna concert, you’re hungry while and all that’s left in the fridge is a single slice of leftover pizza... And pickles in a jar… You remember wishing to make a resolution, but the wish to just make it home alive won…Still, you decided to stay positive this year, but doubt it while trying to keep your balance and eyeing the table full of empty glasses. Somehow, this all seems funny to you, but you’re so hammered that enthusiasm’s leaving you, until you realize it’s January first, the first day of the new year, and everything’s okay, because you still have a day or two ahead, to pull yourself together and be again that serious persona with your old routine- coffee, phone calls to your friends who tell you: “You have no idea, I’ve been through the same”. The world already got funnier; you’re just less in the mood for laughter.

This is a possible scenario for participants in “crazy and unforgettable” celebrations of new year’s around the world. Imagine just how many people don’t remember a thing, having celebrated something that marks the end of a cycle, which may not even have been the beginning of something new, with the hope that it would. Apart from this Gregorian (1st January), there’s a lot of other New Years on this planet:

-Orthodox New Year’s (13th January), which is, according to the Gregorian calendar, being celebrated in our country, in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Palestine, Ethiopia - Lunar (beginning of February), which is celebrated in China, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and other countries in East Asia - Hebrew New Year’s – Rosh Hashana (September or October) which is celebrated in Israel and among Hebrew communities all around the world. Rosh Hashana represents the beginning of the Armenian month Tishri and marks the beginning of a new cycle in the Jewish calendar. - Islam New Year’s (according to the Lunar calendar, 1. Muharrem) is celebrated across the Islamic world and is known as Hijri New year’s. It’s celebrated on the first day of the Muharrem month, according to the Islamic lunar calendar and the date varies every year.

- There is also Pohela Boishakh (14th April), Bengal New Year’s, which is celebrated in Bangladesh and east India (Bengal). It’s marked with joyful celebrations.
- Then, there’s also Turkish New Year’s, Hicri Yeni Yıl (1st January, according to the Gregorian calendar). Even though the Gregorian calendar is used in Turkey for civil purposes, they also cherish the tradition of celebrating Islamic New Year’s according to the lunar Hijri calendar.
- 14th April, Tamil New Year’s is celebrated by Tamil Nadu (India), Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore. That’s the New year’s that’s celebrated according to the solar tamil calendar and is marked with a rich tradition. - Bikram Sambat (April), Nepalese New Year’s which is celebrated in Nepal, according to the Bikram Sambat calendar, takes place in April, at the same time as the beginning of the new cycle.
- Persian New Year’s Nowruz (around 20th March) is celebrated in Iran, Azerbaijan and other members of the former Persian kingdom. Nowruz is the spring equinox and, like all New Year’s, marks the beginning of the new cycle in the Persian solar calendar. It’s an important cultural and traditional celebration in many countries.
-The Kurdish New Year, Newroz (around March 21), is celebrated in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, Syria, and Kurdistan. It is a traditional Kurdish holiday that marks the beginning of spring and a new day, with a history that goes back several thousand years.
- The Sikh New Year, Vaisakhi (April 13), is celebrated in India, particularly in the Punjab region. It is an important Sikh festival observed as the New Year, and also commemorates the founding of the Khalsa community, a significant event in Sikhism. - Buddhist New Year’s (spring, end of April) is celebrated in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Sri Lanka. In Buddhist countries, New Year’s is often celebrated in April, while in Thailand, it’s known as Songkran, famous for big water fights.
- Hindu New Year’s is celebrated in India and Nepal, on various dates according to different regions and calendars. It’s celebrated in different time periods depending on the region.
As you can see, there are various New Year celebrations depending on historic, religious, cultural and astronomical/calendar traditions. Everywhere they mark the end of one cycle and the beginning, the transition from one year to the other with the feeling of hope for a new and better beginning, new plans and goals. Therefore, it’s not a mere “let’s be cheerful” celebration, it’s more than that – it’s hope for a better future, expressing gratitude for what we have, good wishes for us and others; that’s why it should be crazy and memorable. Because of it, we burn fires, wear white, have fireworks, calling in a better tomorrow with crazy dancing, music and festivities. It’s worth one morning of not remembering anything.