Fireworks—pyrotechnics—are such a big part of New Year’s Eve celebrations that it’s hard to imagine this night without them. It wasn’t always that way, though. It’s a relatively recent development in America.
The first time I ever experienced this phenomenon was the night of the 1955/56 New Year’s Eve. I, an American, was living in a small village in Europe, and was surprised to hear Pop! Pop! Pop! In the middle of the night of December 24. I looked out my window. The sky was alive with flying, glittery bits of fire in every color and configuration. I learned that fireworks were added to whatever else they customarily did to usher in the new year. What a great idea! I thought.
And it was. I don’t know how long it took for American cities to catch on and include them in the entertainments for this midnight event. But they did. Big cities, small towns, burgs. All of ’em. Eventually.
Now, through the magic of TV satellites and the Internet, we can also watch New Year’s Eve being welcomed with fireworks around the world, starting with Sydney, then Perth and Singapore, Sri Lanka, Turkey, South Africa, Greece, Paris, London, New York, and finally Los Angeles and Vancouver. Maybe Anchorage and Honolulu, too.
(The countries at war are far from jubilant this year. Sadly, their fireworks are the serious, deadly, sort.)
The crystal ball-drop in NYC is a totally different thing. They started doing that all the way back in 1907. But now, with CNN and celebrity hosts, it’s become a big deal.
It’s made it easier for seniors like my sweetheart and me to celebrate New Year’s. In our younger days we kissed, wished each other Happy New Year, clinked glasses, and kept on partying. Now we watch the ball come down at midnight in Times Square in New York City—9:00 p.m. here in Reno—kiss, clink glasses, reflect on the last 12 months, wish for better times in the next 12, and go to bed. (He’s almost 90; I’m not far behind.) Three hours later, we were awakened by the Pop! Pop! Pop! of our local fireworks, wished each other a second Happy New Year, and went back to sleep.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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