In countries which use the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is usually celebrated on 1 January. The order of months in the Roman calendar has been January to December since King Numa Pompilius in about 700 BC, according to Plutarch and Macrobius. However, Roman writers identified years by naming the year's consuls, who did not enter office on 1 January until 153 BC. Since then 1 January has been the first day of the year, except during the Middle Ages when several other days were the first (1 March, 25 March, Easter, 1 September, 25 December). With the expansion of Western culture to the rest of the world during the twentieth century, the 1 January date became global, even in countries with their own New Year celebrations on other days (e.g., China and India). At present, the celebration of the New Year is a major event worldwide. Many large-scale events are held in major cities around the world, with many large fireworks events on New Year's Eve (31 December). Sydney launched over 80,000 fireworks at midnight, and had more than one and a half million attendees; it was also the most-watched event on television worldwide last year. In Valparaiso upwards of two million visitors witnessed the largest fireworks display in a natural setting; a total of more than 21 kilometers of fireworks on the bay, from the commercial port city of Valparaiso to Concon, Chile, all in 25 minutes of entertainment. London's New Year celebrations centre around the London Eye, with an impressive fireworks display while Big Ben strikes midnight. In New York, the celebration is focused around a large crystal ball that descends in a one minute countdown in Times Square. Edinburgh plays host to one of the world's largest Hogmanay events. The celebrations last for four days and attract visitors from around the globe to take part in street parties and attend concerts. In the culture of Latin America there are a variety of traditions and superstitions surrounding these dates as omens for the coming year. January remains a symbol of the New Year's celebration. According to the Christian tradition, 1 January coincides with the circumcision of Christ (eight days after birth), when the name of Jesus was given to him (Luke 2: 21).

After attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya the Buddha went to Sarnath; and it was here that he preached his first discourse in the deer park to set in motion the 'Wheel of the Dharma'. It is one of the most holy sites as in this place the stream of the Buddha's teaching first flowed.

Padmasambhava (Tibetan: པདྨ་འབྱུང་གནས; Wylie: padma 'byung gnas; Mongolian ловон Бадмажунай, lovon Badmajunai), The Lotus Born, was an Indian sage Guru and is said to have transmitted Tantric Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet in the 8th century. In those lands he is better known as Guru Rinpoche ("Precious Master") or Lopon Rinpoche, where followers of the Nyingma school regard him as the second Buddha. He said: "My father is the intrinsic awareness, Samantabhadra. My mother is the ultimate sphere of reality, Samantabhadri. I belong to the caste of non-duality of the sphere of awareness. My name is the Glorious Lotus Born. I am from the unborn sphere of all phenomena. I consume concepts of duality as my diet. I act in the way of the Buddhas of the three times."

Jigme Singye Wangchuck (born 11 November 1955) is the former King of Bhutan. He was the fourth Dragon King (Druk Gyalpo) of Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in 2006. He is credited with many modern reforms in the country.He acceded to the throne at the age of seventeen, in 1972, after the sudden death of his father, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. When he was formally crowned on 2 June 1974, he was the youngest monarch in the world at eighteen years of age, and the coronation was notable for the presence of foreign dignitaries, thus signalling the end of the long isolation of the country. He was educated in Bhutan and the United Kingdom.

Jigme Dorji Wangchuck ( Wylie: 'jigs med rdo rje dbang phyuk; May 2, 1928 – July 21, 1972) was the Third King of Bhutan. He began to open Bhutan to the outside world, began modernization, and took the first steps toward democratization. Upon succeeding his father, Jigme Wangchuck, on 27 October 1952, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck put an end to feudalism and slavery and released all remaining serfs. He encouraged certain modern inventions to assist the local peasantry and introduced wheeled vehicles, where previously the transportation of crops and people was done manually. He established a High court and reorganized the judicial system. In 1953, he established the Tshogdu or National assembly - Bhutan’s first unicameral Parliament. During his reign Bhutan’s first planned economic development plan was drafted. In 1961, a five year economic development plan was launched for the years 1961-1966. Bhutan is still following this economic development plan. He created Bhutan’s first Council of Ministers in 1968. In 1963, Bhutan joined the Colombo Plan. During his 20-year reign, 1770 km of roads were constructed, the number of schools rose to 102 and 6 hospitals were established. In 1971, he set up a Planning Commission. Bhutan was admitted to the United Nations in 1971. In 1950, the People's Republic of China occupied Tibet, a country with which Bhutan had a long-established relationship. This encouraged the king to foster stronger ties with foreign nations, especially India, and culminated with Bhutan joining the United Nations in 1971. At the same time, he empowered the National Assembly to remove him or any of his successors with a two-thirds majority. Jigme Dorji Wangchuck suffered his first heart attack at the age of twenty. He made frequent visits overseas for medical treatment, dying in Nairobi, Kenya, while receiving medical treatment, in 1972. Jigme Singye Wangchuck, his son, succeeded him. He was married to Queen Ashi Kelzang Chhoedon Wangchuck.

Jigme Singye Wangchuck (born 11 November 1955) is the former King of Bhutan. He was the fourth Dragon King (Druk Gyalpo) of Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in 2006. He is credited with many modern reforms in the country.