The New Year's Kiss

Besides Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve is the most anticipated day in any single girl’s life.  We prepare for New Years Eve by working out in the weeks prior, getting our nails done, and finding a fabulous party to attend.  If we can’t find a party, we throw one where we make sure all of our couple friends bring cute, tall, single gentlemen, who would like nothing more than to find their soul mate.  That’s reasonable, right?   Another reason why we love New Year’s Eve is because it gives us an excuse to shop for an obnoxious dress that is entirely covered in glitter and sparkle.  The best part about that is no one can tell us we look like a 5 year old when we are wearing it.

Once we arrive at our party destination, we drink champagne, laugh with friends, and take a disgusting amount of pictures.  All the while, we are secretly eyeing the room of available bachelors to pounce on for that inevitable New Year’s kiss.  My question is who made up this ridiculous rule of “the New Year’s kiss”?  I just want to enjoy the last night of the year and reminisce on its challenges and successes!  Instead, I’m forced to worry about who I’ll be locking lips with at midnight. 

I did a little research on how this horrible tradition was started.  Apparently, the Ancient Romans, English, and Germans are to blame.  Around the time of the Winter Solstice, the Romans would celebrate Saturnalia, which was basically a week long party to raise morale after the Romans lost a battle to the Carthaginians.  I’m not totally sure what kissing and brutal battles have to do with each other, but those Romans didn’t always have a method to their madness.  For example, making perfectly good-looking, available men fight to the death for sport was a complete waste.  Not only were the Romans confused as to what the definition of entertainment was, but they were minimizing the already small pool of future husbands. 

The rest of my research explained that at the end of the year, a kiss is seen as a measure of what is to come in the next twelve months.  In some old English and German legends, the first person you came in contact with at midnight would be your “New Year’s kiss”.  A kiss with one you loved ensured good tidings and happiness, but to kiss someone less favorable, or not kiss anyone at all, would mean misfortune and loneliness in the upcoming year.  Seriously?  How about instead of loneliness and misfortune, single people get more vacation days at work or a pre-paid trip to Tahiti? 

In conclusion, my research has told me this: once the clock starts counting down, make sure you are standing next to the 6’ 5” guy who looks like he could be Ryan Goslings brother.  If you don’t make it in time and the clock strikes twelve, know that kiss or no kiss, you will always have good fortune and happiness as long as you cherish these three things: faith, family, and friends.