New Year represents end of the current calendar year and beginning of the new calendar year, irrespective of culture, language or geography. It is celebrated all over the world around the first day of the calendar which they follow, as a time to say good bye to the past and welcome a new beginning with full of hopes. Here are some interesting facts about the New Year.

• · According to history, New Year was observed some 4000 years ago when the Babylonian civilization celebrated it as holiday.

• · In 153 B.C, the Roman senate declared 1^st of Jan as New Year but later it got changed; during 46 BC, Julius Caesar declared Jan 1^st as New Year again, as per Julian calendar. The first month of Roman calendar is called Janus which means door in Latin; Janus is a Roman God with two faces looking forward and backward at the same time and this God represents ‘spirit of the opening’.

• · Romans are the first who started the custom of exchanging New Year gifts such as sacred tree branches for good luck; people started continuing such custom of exchanging gifts for the New Year.

• · Gregorian calendar fixed 1^st of January as the New Year in 1582 and so many cultures following Gregorian calendar celebrate New Year on 1^st of Jan.

• · Slowly over time, New Year has become a great occasion that is widely celebrated across continents with sheer joy and exchange of love; around this day, people get connected with each other, enjoy feasting with music and dance, exchange greetings and gifts, its full of fun and happiness all over. Different countries and cultures follow varied traditions and beliefs on the New Year.

• · In most European cultures, when the clock strikes 12 at midnight, people gather on the streets sing the song called ‘Auld Lyne Syne’ a poem which means ‘good old days’, written by a Scottish poet Robert Burns around 1700 AD.

• · ‘First footing’ is also popular in some European countries which is a custom of bringing in a tall dark male to step inside the home at the first minute of the New Year; this is to bring in good luck and wealth.

• · Some cultures believe that anything taken in the shape of a full circle brings good luck; for example, the dough nut. Similarly legumes and black eyed peas are considered lucky.

How did Memorial Day come into existence in America?
Memorial Day came into existence because people wanted to remember those who died bravely.  It was originally called Decoration Day. It came into prominence as a result of community groups in the South who set aside a day to decorate the graves of dead Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War.  The practice grew to include Union soldiers as well.  While lots of communities lay claim to having begun the observance of a Decoration Day, it was not until 1966 that President Lyndon B. Johnson announced that the official birthplace of Memorial Day observances would be Waterloo, NY, in commemoration of the first national observance on May 5th 1866.  In 1868, due to the efforts of General John A. Logan, who led a prominent veterans’ organization, a proclamation was issued that Decoration Day should become a nationwide celebration on May 30th.  At that first national celebration, flowers were laid on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
In time, Decoration Day came to be celebrated in almost every state. The observance was expanded to honor and remember all American soldiers who died serving their country. Some southern states, however, still honor their Confederate War dead separately.

Here are some of the trivia that you can make into questions
Decoration Day became Memorial Day officially in 1967.

It was declared a national holiday in 1971, and

it is celebrated on the last Monday in May.

It is one of three holidays (the others are Washington’s Birthday, now Presidents Day and Veterans Day) that are shifted from their actual date to a specified Monday.  This adds up to a long weekend.
Why was May 30th selected to celebrate Memorial Day?
Some have said that May 30 was selected because flowers would be in bloom throughout the country.  Other sources note that May 30 is not associated with any battle.

How do we celebrate Memorial Day?
The traditional American Memorial Day celebration featured parades, flags flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon, speeches, visits to national cemeteries to place flags on the graves of the fallen.  The VFW sold poppies for people to wear.  At 3 p.m. local time, the nation is asked to pause for a moment of silence.  This is known as the Memorial Day National Moment of Remembrance.   After Memorial Day was folded into a long weekend, the celebrations became less aimed at remembering our war dead and more geared to family events – picnics, barbecues, festivals and sporting events.  The Indianapolis 500 has been held on Memorial Day weekend since 1911.  The holiday is thought of as the beginning of summer.
There are several nationally televised events, which seek to restore the dignity and solemnity of Memorial Day. The change in the tone of this holiday has become a source of concern for veterans groups, who feel that the picnic-like atmosphere has detracted from the historical intent of the day.