Happy New Year

In Italy, New Years Eve, l'ultimo dell'anno, is celebrated with rites, rituals and events that are meant to bring good fortune, happiness and prosperity in the coming year. Derived from Roman celebrations in honor of Janus, the god of gates, doorways, beginnings and endings, New Year's Eve in Italy is a time to put an end to the problems of the past and open the door to the possibilities of a New Year. And being Italian you want to ensure that you do so in the most fortuitous manner!

Such as Celebrating at midnight with Fireworks and wearing Red Underwear

Fireworks and

Italians call New Year's Eve Capodanno (the "head of the year") and celebrate with fireworks at midnight. In Europe, fireworks began with military explosives adapted for use in celebrating victories and progressed to the elaborate productions designed by Italian pyrotechnists in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. (Even today, most of the large fire-work companies in the United States are run by Italian-American families.) The firework displays of the Italian masters were like works of art and greatly anticipated. Usually staged on lavishly decorated wooden sets, they were often displayed floating on bodies of water, both for safety and to reflect the spectacle of the occasion.