January 1st & December 31st 2012

New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome. With most countries using the Gregorian calendar as their main calendar, New Year's Day is the closest thing to being the world's only truly global public holiday. It is often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts.