New Year's Eve. One of the holidays that anyone and everyone seem to embrace. New Year's Eve has been celebrated for centuries. In fact, the coming of the new year has been celebrated since 153 B.C. in Rome. But why do we follow certain traditions on New Year's Eve? Why must there be black-eyed peas, "Auld Lang Syne," champagne, kissing, and ball dropping? Here are some of the reasons:

Black-Eyed Peas

A long time ago, Southerners thought that black-eyed peas resembled coins. They thought that if they were to eat the black-eyed peas on New Year's Day, they would have economic prosperity in the new year.

"Auld Lang Syne"

"Auld Lang Syne" literally means "old long ago." The song is about "the love and kindness of days gone by, but ... it also gives us a sense of belonging and fellowship to take into the future," according to Scotland.org, a website of the Scottish government.

Champagne

The reason we drink champagne on New Year's and on other celebratory occasions goes back to prohibition. When Prohibition ended in the United States (on Dec. 5, 1933) there were two companies in the alcohol industry that wanted to make the most of the event by having a marketing campaign to celebrate the end of the restriction on alcohol. One was Moet and Chandon, a champagne company. They threw such a big celebratory party for all their rich guests that it became a staple of any celebratory occasion from then on.

Kissing

According to tradition, not kissing someone at midnight will ensure a year of loneliness. The custom may also date to ancient European times as a way to ward off evil spirits, the Montreal Gazette reports.

Ball Dropping

Before the ball dropped in Times Square, there were fireworks. The first New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square in New York City was held in 1904, ending in a fireworks show. When the city banned fireworks two years later, event organizers arranged to have a 700-pound iron-and-wood ball lowered down a pole, according to the Times Square website.

No matter what your plans are for ringing in the new year, now you know why you will be celebrating the way that you do.