Why does our new year start on Jan. 1? In an earlier world it used to be celebrated in the spring, which makes a lot more sense, as that is more a time of things beginning.

I think the January 1 deal has something to do with all the calendar changes there were in former millennia. The Roman Senate finally had enough and arbitrarily chose January 1 in 153 B.C., and we've been using it ever since.

Other cultures and religions have different beginnings to their years. (I was going to mention some, but they are all over the calendar and it's too complicated to get into here.)

New Year's Day and the eve before it are laden with revelries and traditions, no matter when or where they occur.

Apparently some 4,000 years ago the Babylonians made much of their new year, which began around the time of the vernal equinox. The festivities lasted for 11 days.

Our tradition of making resolutions dates back to that time. Today we resolve to lose weight or quit smoking or whatever; the Babylonians reportedly were more concerned with returning borrowed farm equipment.

A lot of traditions include food -- black-eyed peas, fish, hog jowls, mandarin oranges, cabbage, lentils, pickled beets, donuts, to name a few.

Some families serve pork and good-luck sauerkraut every January 1. The theory is if you have pork, you'll spend the year living high on the hog, whereas if you eat chicken, you'll be scratching for a living. (Eating beef is just plain old bad luck.)

In Scandinavia they favor herring and rice pudding with an almond hidden in it. In Holland and Germany the tradition is pastry, and in Spain and Portugal they eat twelve grapes at exactly midnight. The Japanese have an entire new year's cuisine called osechi-ryori.

A very important tradition (of which I was unaware until recently) is "first-footing," involving the one who first enters your home in the New Year. Nothing and nobody should go out of the house until the correct person has come in.

This should be a tall dark-haired man, not part of the residing family, and he should have a high instep and be carrying a shovelful of coal or some salt to ensure your future well-being. He must not have flat feet or eyebrows that meet in the middle. (What are the odds?)

Under no circumstances should a blonde woman or a red-haired person be the first to come through your door! Very bad luck! (I'd like to declare here that my granddaughters are welcome in our house at any time, and so is my youngest grandson, the red-haired one, as soon as he's old enough to walk.)

Other ways of ensuring prosperity and good fortune in the New Year include wearing new clothes, having money in your pocket, dancing around a tree in open air (I'm going to risk not doing that), winding your clocks, and ringing a bell.

Do not do laundry or let a fire go out on January 1, use scissors, or take out the garbage.

If you can manage it, have a baby; this will bring great things to the entire family.

It is important to drink the last dregs from a bottle on New Year's Eve (good luck) and make as much noise as possible to scare away any lurking evil spirits. And you must open all your doors at midnight to let the old year escape so the New Year can come in. (We're in such trouble here--we hardly ever stay up until midnight any more.)

The most unusual new year tradition we've ever run across was in Thailand, one of several Asian countries celebrating "Songkran" in April. They make very merry by throwing water.

This began as a mark of respect, but has evolved into people standing by roadsides with hoses and buckets dowsing each other and anybody else who happens to get within range.

We were riding through Phuket in an open vehicle and were absolutely drenched by the time we arrived at the elephant camp. (The elephants didn't seem to mind, and since it was well over 100 degrees, neither did we.)

Maybe you'll celebrate with fireworks, some level of revelry, braving the throngs in Times Square, or joining a Polar Bear Club so you can go swimming (I think not).

Or maybe you'll just stay home, eat pork, perhaps open a bottle of something, and watch endless parades and football games, or a marathon of Ice Road Truckers on the History Channel . (Again, I think not.) We'll be taking down the Christmas tree.

Whatever you do, let it be the beginning of a wonderful 2009!