Where To Celebrate New Year's Eve 2024 In Wilton

WILTON, CT — New Year's Eve events for the young, very young and young at heart can be found in Wilton and the surrounding area if you know where to look.

On New Year's Day, Temple B'Nai Chaim will host a Chanukah & New Year's Day Pajama Party. There will be games, crafts, bingo, brunch, prizes and a special musical performance for families with young children.

The Ridgefield Library will be holding its annual Noon Year's Eve Balloon Drop and Dance Party on Dec. 31 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Children are invited to an apple juice toast and a dance party with DJ Miles from Ridgefield's Bach to Rock in the Bossidy Commons. Drop-ins are welcome, but registration is required for refreshments.

The Angel Cooperative located at 51 Ethan Allen Highway in Ridgefield will be presenting "A New Year's Eve Journey with Sita's Light," beginning at 8 p.m. A guided meditation, Dances of Universal Peace, a Midnight Peace Circle, and healthy snacks will all play their part in a "a transformational night filled with an array of soul-stirring moments to help lay the foundations for positive change in your life in 2025."

Hosting a New Year's Eve event in Wilton? Be sure to post it on the Patch Calendar.

Elsewhere in Connecticut, First Night Hartford returns with a family-friendly, alcohol-free New Year's Eve celebration that features fireworks, music, art, and food in the state's capital city.

In the United States, one of the most popular New Year’s Eve traditions is the dropping of the giant ball in New York City’s Times Square. Other U.S. cities have their own versions of this celebration, such as the Peeps Chick Drop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the giant Potato Drop in Boise, Idaho.

The transition from one year to the next is often marked by the singing of “Auld Lang Syne,” a Scottish folk song whose title roughly translates to “days gone by,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica and History.com.

The tradition of New Year’s resolutions dates back 8,000 years to ancient Babylonians, who made promises to return borrowed items and repay debts at the beginning of the new year, which was in mid-March when they planted their crops.

• Related: What New Year’s Resolution Did You Keep? How Did You Do It? [Patch Survey]

According to legend, if people kept their word, the pagan gods would grant them favor in the coming year. However, if they broke their promises, they would lose favor with the gods.

Many secular New Year’s resolutions focus on imagining new, improved versions of ourselves.

The failure rate of New Year’s resolutions is about 80 percent, according to U.S. News & World Report. There are many reasons, but a big one is they’re made out of remorse — for gaining weight, for example — and aren’t accompanied by a shift in attitude or a plan for coping with the stress and discomfort that comes with changing a habit or condition.