Changes

Throughout the world, there are many different New Year's Eve or Day celebrations, including different days depending on which calendar is followed. Calendars in the Middle East are still somewhat influenced by the ancient cultures there, with the holiday Nowruz celebrating the New Year in the March vernal equinox on the 20th/21st of March in places such as Iran and Kurdish regions. Diwali is a Hindu holiday celebrated in mid-October to mid-November and celebrates victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. This is why commonly the celebration includes fireworks today. For the Chinese New Year, it traditionally begins between 21 January and 20 February depending on the new moon during that time. Similar to more ancient New Year traditions, it was a time to celebrate different gods to bring good luck in the harvest and year, while the dead ancestors were also celebrated and often prayed for. Many countries in Asia, in fact, often use two calendars, with one being the traditional often lunar or lunar-solar calendar used to celebrate New Year Day at different times. On the other hand, many Asian countries also celebrate January 1st as the civil calendar New Year Day.<ref>For more on New Year's Day celebrations worldwide, see: Crump, W.D., 2008. <i>Encyclopedia of New Year’s holidays worldwide</i>. McFarland & Co, Jefferson, N.C.</ref>

==Summary==