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[[File: 1544550806-shutterstock_520864489.jpeg|250px240px|thumbnail|left|Celebrations of the New Year in Egypt often involved asking for the Nile floods to be successful in the coming year.]]
New Year celebrations, in typical years, often involves large gatherings of friends and family and a time to look forward to the future, particularly if a year was difficult. Celebrations of New Year have occurred for millennia, even when New Year's Day occurred at different times than January 1st. Nevertheless, even as the date has changed, looking forward to a New Year has not.
==Modern New Year's Eve in the West and Other Celebrations==
[[File: 138deddfb0977514a371534df8566aba.jpeg|250px240px|thumbnail|left|What became Times Square and how it looked in 1904 in advance of the first party held there on New Year's Eve in 1904.]]
By 1800, people began to traditionally stay up until about midnight to see the New Year arrive. This became common in households across Europe and North America, including having gatherings with family and friends to see the New Year. These gatherings would also involve sometimes heavy drinking. In the 19th century, specifically in 1878 in Britain, St Paul’s Cathedral was installed with new bells, where crowds gathered on New Year's Eve and celebrated the ringing of the bells for the first time. Over time, this tradition became more of an interest to the public, as the bells were rung on New Year's Eve.
