With church bells ringing and horns of all sorts blowing, people around the world have gathered to greet another new year at the stroke of midnight.

Because of our proximity to New York City those who don’t like crowds, or the cold weather, find a spot near a television set (preferably one that is 60” or more) to watch the ball drop in Times Square.

As the clock nears midnight on December 31st, it seems like the entire world turns to the dazzling lights and bustling energy of Times Square. New Year's Eve at the symbolic center of New York City has become more than just a celebration — it's a global tradition. We all hold our breath, and cheer as the clocks strike twelve.

The descent

As the New Year's Eve ball descends from the flagpole atop One Times Square, an estimated one million people in Times Square, along with millions nationwide and over a billion watching throughout the world are united in bidding a collective farewell to the departing year, and expressing joy and hope for the year ahead.

One of our daughters joined the huge throng of people crushed into the small area known as Times Square to enjoy a New Year's Eve celebration that featured star-studded musical performances, balloons, handouts, confetti, and a colorful pyrotechnic display. She said that the excitement made them all forget that it was cold, snowing, they had to go to the bathroom and they were hungry. (Who would think about those things anyway?)

Each year, millions of eyes are focused on the sparkling Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year's Eve ball. At exactly 11:59 p.m., the ball begins its descent. You can almost hear the millions of voices unite to count down the final ten seconds of the year.

The ball is a geodesic sphere. It is 12 feet in diameter, and weighs 11,875 pounds. A total of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles cover the ball. They vary in size, and range in length from 4-three fourths inches to 5-three fourths inches per side. The 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles are bolted to 672 LED modules that are attached to the aluminum frame of the ball.

The ball’s makeup

The ball is illuminated by 32,256 LEDs (light emitting diodes). Each LED module contains 48 LEDs (12 red, 12 blue, 12 green, and 12 white) for a total of 8,064 of each color. The ball is capable of creating a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns producing a spectacular kaleidoscope effect atop One Times Square. (I have trouble locating one bulb that is burned out in a string on our Christmas tree. I cannot imagine what it would be like to find a burned out LED on the ball.)

Time zones

Because the world is divided into time zones, the New Year moves progressively around the world as the start of the day ushers in the New Year. The first time zone to usher in the New Year, just west of the International Date Line, is located in the Line Islands, a part of the Independent and Sovereign Republic of Kiribati, and has a time zone 14 hours ahead of UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). All other time zones are 1 to 25 hours behind; on American Samoa and Midway, it is still 11 p.m. on Dec. 30. These are among the last inhabited places to observe New Year.

Personal outlook

With a New Year starting, many people are sad to see that the holidays come to an end.

Our daughter, Cindy, is one who really enjoys Christmas and hates to see the New Year take over and move Christmas back down the calendar for another 11 and a half months. 

New Year’s Eve is also a time that people make New Year's resolutions, or a promise for the new year. Resolutions are not a religious tradition. They are most common in the Western Hemisphere but also found in the Eastern Hemisphere. A resolution is when a person makes a promise to do an act of self-improvement or something nice for  another person.

Some people make promises at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. This is always a good resolution for anyone at any time. Some other examples include resolutions to donate to the poor more often, to become more assertive, or to become more environmentally responsible.

Popular goals include resolutions to improve physical well-being like eating healthy food, losing weight, exercising more, drinking less alcohol, quitting smoking, stopping biting nails, getting rid of old bad habits, thinking positive, laughing more often, enjoying life, improving finances, improving ones career, performing better at current job, getting a better job, establishing your own business or even taking a trip.

Others celebrate

There are also religious parallels to this tradition. During Judaism's New Year, Rosh Hashanah, through the High Holidays and culminating in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), everyone is to reflect upon their wrongdoings over the year and both seek and offer forgiveness.

Chinese New Year (or Spring Festival) is an important traditional Chinese holiday celebrated at the turn of the Chinese calendar. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally run from Chinese New Year's Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the Lunar New Year.

Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese New Year vary widely. Often, the evening preceding Chinese New Year's Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for an annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly clean their house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors are decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets (two lines of verse rhyme and have the same meter) with popular themes of good fortune or happiness, wealth, and longevity.

Other activities include lighting firecrackers, and giving money in red paper envelopes.

Our best wishes

This just shows that there are some traditions that translate well in any country or language. As you celebrate the beginning of a New Year full of hopes, challenges, changes, and dreams it is my hope that you have a very happy and healthy New Year.

If last year was happy may this new year be happier. If last year was sad may this new year be filled with joy. If last year was filled with ill health may the new year bring you strength and good health.  If last year found you in need may the new year bring you plenty. And above all may your new year be filled with love and sharing.

School reminder

Schools in the Guilderland district will reopen on Monday, Jan. 5.  This will be an “A” day. 

Continuing ed

Residents in the Guilderland School District are reminded that registrations are now being accepted for Continuing Education classes beginning on Feb,  2.  All registrations must be postmarked no later than Jan. 16. For further information or to view the catalog go to: www.guilderlandschools.org/district/academics/continuinged/continuinged.cfm.

Save the date

If you have an eighth grade student in the Guilderland district, Jan. 14 is a date to mark on your calendar as this is the annual eighth to ninth grade transition night. More information to follow.  

Shrine officers

The annual installation of officers will be held on Saturday, Jan. 3. It will be held at the Cypress Temple in Glenmont at 4:30 p.m. Officers to be installed are asked to be at the Temple at 4 p.m.  A cocktail hour and banquet will follow the installation.

Anniversary

Happy 58th anniversary wishes are extended to Nancy and Sanford Furr of Jamestown, North Carolina who celebrated their special day on Dec. 29. 

Birthdays

Happy-birthday wishes are extended to:

— Cole Adams, Peter Cure, and Kate Walton on Jan. 2;

— Bill Johnson, Timothy Rau, and Thomas Stevens on Jan. 3;

— Michael Gibbons Camardo on Jan. 4;

— Sybil Laraway, Sarah Poczik, Karsen Rittner, and Joan Romanofski on Jan. 6; 

— Glen Jones, Alfred Parella, and Cassie Snyder on Jan. 7; and
— Robert Nopper, Misuk Lundeen, and Jeremy Spohr on Jan. 8.