nese were the first to start it, others believe it was the ancient Germans, and still others claim it was the Romans. We know that the Chinese have always had a great festival at the time of their New Year, which comes later than ours. The Chinese New Year festival lasts several days. The ancient Germans established a New Year festival because of the changing seasons. The German winter began at the middle of November. This was the time when they gathered the harvest, because everybody came together at this time for the happy occasion, and because it meant they would have a period of rest from work afterwards. They would make merry and have a great holiday. Even though it was November, they considered it the beginning of the New Year! When the Romans conquered (入侵) Europe, they changed this time of celebration to the first of January. From then on the coming of the New Year was a symbol of a new life with new hope for the future. This custom and this meaning have lasted to this day. We celebrate the New Year hoping it will bring us a good life.