Janelle Pantilon, Staff Writer
It’s New Year’s Eve, the clock ticks one second closer to midnight: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Hugs, cheers, “Happy New Year’s,” and kisses are exchanged. These are the ways society has honored the coming year for what seems like a lifetime. But questions of these actions have risen such as why do people kiss on New Year’s and view it as a vital part of the holiday?
The tradition of sharing a kiss in celebration can be traced back to the ancient Roman winter festival, Saturnalia. It was a nontheistic festival held in December that honored the agricultural god, Saturn. Homes were full of wreaths, meals, gifts, and friends and family gathered. It’s similar to Christmas but like New Year’s, the night often ends with a kiss.
Another holiday that this special kiss stems from is a current holiday in Scotland called Hogmanay. It’s the Scottish New Year, filled with dancing, chatting, and singing songs like “Auld Lang Syne.” The night ends with wishes of a “Guid New Year” with kisses to partners, friends, or even strangers to embrace the future.
However it’s emergence in America has been linked to the influx of German immigrants during the mid-nineteenth century, who’s festivities would later spread the concept of the kiss. The custom was first seen in a New York Times report from 1893. German’s would gather in their homes, theaters, or cellars among plenty of people with food, drinks, music, and cheer. Before midnight, silence settles until the clock’s last stroke where they’d find someone in the crowd to share a kiss with, ceasing the evening.
As New York banned fireworks and the annual ball drop was introduced, people embraced the big kiss almost as a way to set off their own sparks or to initiate a year of success. Hollywood saw the tradition spark and used films to promote it in media through movies such as When Harry Met Sally, The Godfather Part II, Happy New Year, Charlie Brown, and Bridget Jones Diary.
I can see the appeal to the tradition. I think that as long as people are okay with it and comfortable, then why not. Although, there should not be any unwarranted pressure for it to happen or be perfect because it’s a choice and should feel lighthearted and memorable.
