New Year's Traditions in America

In the Philippines, New Year's Day is almost always spent with your families, hence several malls and groceries were closed on this day. No sporting events were held due to this need. But in the United States, they consider New Year's Day as both a holiday and a working day. We look at traditional events held in the United States on New Year's Day. 

The Annual Tournament of Roses Parade

Held in the afternoon of New Year's Day, the annual Tournament of Roses Parade, popularly known as the Rose Parade, features elaborately designed floats using roses as the central theme. The Rose Parade is held at Pasadena, California, coinciding with the annual Rose Bowl football game involving NCAA member schools. The event is produced by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. One of the tasks during the 17th season of The Amazing Race involved teams partially decorating one of the participating floats that were used for the 2011 edition of the Rose Parade. The Rose Parade was first held in 1890, and has been held annually since then.

The Rose Bowl Game

Like its namesake parade, the Rose Bowl Game is held on New Year's Day at Pasadena, California, and is produced by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. The events has been produced annually since 1902, except for the years 1903-1915, when various races were held instead of a football game. This was because the initial edition ended up as a lopsided win for the University of Michigan over the University of Stanford 49-0. Tournament Park is the original host of the Bowl before moving to the Rose Bowl stadium in 1923, where it has been held since except 1942, at the height of World War II, where the game was played in Durham, North Carolina's Duke Stadium.

NHL Winter Classic

A fairly new New Year's tradition, the NHL Winter Classic is held annually at an outdoor stadium in the NHL team's city, whether it's a baseball-exclusive, a football-exclusive, or a multi-purpose stadium. The first edition was held in 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, a suburb of Buffalo, New York, and has been held since, owing to sellout crowds and high TV ratings. HBO also had a chance to follow participating teams in the lead-up to the Winter Classic through its 24/7 specials. 

In the event that New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, these events are moved to January 2, due to NFL Sunday games. 

So if you're still in the mood for New Year's enjoyment, better watch or attend these events to fulfill your New Year's resolution. Happy New Year everyone.