The best excuse to buy a sequin dress or splurge on champagne is definitely New Year’s Eve. There’s nothing like dressing up with your friends to celebrate getting through another year of company-wide emails and receiving memes from private accounts.

Although it’s nice to look back on past months, why do we celebrate a new year anyway? Well, New Year’s Day, January 1, marks the start of a new year according to the Gregorian calendar. After the unit of measure was introduced to Europe and the Americas centuries ago, it soon became adapted by Christianity. Although many observe the first of the year on January 1, several cultures use their own calendars with different dates for celebrating the New Year like Judaism and religions more common in Asia. Aside from the global spread of tradition, we mainly celebrate the New Year because we deserve a drink for getting through another 365 days.

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Over the years, many NYE traditions have developed besides raising a glass of bubbly. Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest has become an essential fixture to the night, bringing a concert comprised of the hottest celebrities to your living room. In years past, there have been many iconic moments on the NYE stage.

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How could we forget Mariah Carey’s NYE fail when things didn’t go her way in 2016? Although she looked beautiful, she didn’t really sing and  just roamed around the stage. And then there’s the time Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper took shots to reign in the New Year — clearly shots are not Anderson’s thing.

Just like us, celebs love to get down to celebrate the end and new beginning. Of course, you don’t have to have a cocktail to be a part of the festivities. Demi Lovato celebrated the start of 2019 with some sparkling cider. “So grateful for the lessons I’ve learned this year,” Demi wrote on her Instagram Story at the time. “I will never take another day in life for granted, even the bad ones. Thankful for my fans, friends, family, and everyone who supported me throughout this year. God bless.”

However you choose to celebrate, know it’s to appreciate another year well spent and to many more.

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