Curacao Photos: Carnival's Night Parade

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From Puritanical intolerance to modern-day scoffing at Dick Clark, New Year's festivities have endured their fair share of adversaries. Nevertheless, the ancient holiday has endured, and it remains—in all its gaudy, glimmering glory—the zenith of world celebrations.

It wasn't always the party to cap off the year, though. Over 3,000 years ago, the Babylonians—followed by the ancient Egyptians—celebrated the beginning of harvesting and planting in early spring, and inaugurated the traditions of grand parades and resolutions. Responsible for many of our more decadent traditions, Julius Caesar and his cohorts moved the big day to the first of January. The emperor even stretched out the first year for 445 days (forcing the Romans to postpone celebrations) in order to synchronize the calendar year with the sun. Early Christianity, however, viewed the bacchanalian celebrations as pagan excess, but this wasn't to stop year-end festivities taking root the world-over.

Today, some find New Year's Eve worth every minute of its hype, but for others, the evening's high expectations make it a stressful letdown of prom-night-like proportions. Regardless of what kind of bon vivant you are—city hedonist, solitude seeker, or scenery sybarite—our New Year's guide will at least help you put that de-stress resolution into early action and show you where to party, relax, or drink in the vista.