Seasonal & Holidays

Where To Celebrate New Year's Eve In Peekskill/Cortlandt

Here is a look at some events happening throughout Westchester County on New Year's Eve.

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PEEKSKILL/CORTLANDT, NY — Westchester County is always a happening place on New Year's Eve and much less of a headache than heading to NYC to celebrate.

If you're looking for family-friendly fun throughout Westchester, Untermyer Gardens Grand Holiday Illumination in Yonkers, Lasdon Holidays on the Hill Annual Train Show in Somers, and Westchester County's Winter Wonderland Drive-Thru Holiday Light Extravaganza in Valhalla will still be taking place on New Year's Eve.

Find out what's happening in Peekskill-Cortlandtfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Here is a look at some of the events happening on Dec. 31 in Peekskill/Cortlandt and throughout Westchester County:

In the United States, one of the most popular New Year’s Eve traditions is the dropping of the giant ball in Times Square. Other 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.

Find out what's happening in Peekskill-Cortlandtfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The transition from one year to the next is often marked by the singing of "Auld Lang Syne," a Scottish folk song with a title that 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.

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.

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