The midnight New Year's Eve kiss is a popular tradition associated with romantic good luck for the coming year.
Couples and friends may kiss at the moment one year changes into the next. The custom is especially prominent in celebrations influenced by English-speaking popular culture, where a kiss at midnight is treated as a symbolic way to begin the year with affection and companionship.
Its precise origin is not securely documented as one ancient ceremony. European midwinter customs, masquerade traditions and later nineteenth-century social practices are often discussed as influences on modern New Year's celebrations. The kiss became widely recognizable through newspapers, films, television and public countdown events.
The tradition is sometimes confused with kissing under mistletoe, but the two customs are separate. Mistletoe is associated mainly with Christmas-season romance, while the New Year's kiss is tied specifically to the midnight transition. It is a social custom, not a universal requirement or a formal part of the calendar.