This year I stayed up long enough to watch the ball drop for New Year’s in Times Square. Within an hour after the countdown, the news channels began another New Years Eve tradition. As the large crowds of people that had witnessed the live event began to leave the area the various newscasters began reporting on the cleanup efforts that were already beginning.

Besides the discarded 2025 hats, signs and horns that littered the streets, the clean-up crew aided by the Department of Sanitation began attacking the million pounds of confetti that filled the sidewalks and streets. 

The clean-up that begins minutes into the new year is as traditional as the ball drop. Specialized vacuum machines assist in clearing the Times Square area of the celebratory confetti. That million pounds of colorful bits of tiny paper is the subject of this column.

The concept of throwing small objects to celebrate festivals and events goes back to ancient times. In fact, it can be traced all the way back to ancient Rome where people tossed flower petals and organic materials to honor the gods. In medieval Europe, people threw rice and even nuts as the symbols of prosperity and fertility.

We can thank the Italians for coming up with the name confetti. It is derived from the word confetto which originally referred to the sugared almonds or other confections that were thrown during the Italian carnivals. Partiers would toss those sweets to celebrate, eventually substituting them with small pieces of paper — confetti.

Since those ancient times confetti has evolved in many variations over the years using innovations, materials and methods of dispersal. But the old standby traditional paper confetti remains a staple. Some modern celebrations often incorporate biodegradable confetti made from rice paper or other eco-friendly materials such as dry leaves and flower petals. This ensures the joyous aftermath of confetti strewn all over the landscape does not harm the environment.

Besides its visual impact, confetti has a psychological impact on people. That sudden burst of color and movement stimulates the senses creating feelings of happiness and excitement. The act of throwing and being showered with confetti evokes a sense of unity and shared celebration, strengthening social bonds and enhancing the overall experience of a major event.

Prior to the use of confetti, celebrations consisted of dropping candy like confections and dried fruit on the crowds below. Sometimes this included fruit, eggs, coins, candy and mud balls. In Milan in 1597, the governor banned some of those objects from being thrown in the crowd. People were getting injured. Enrico Mangili, an Italian businessman, developed the first paper confetti making machine for Milan parades in 1597. He gathered up punched out pieces of paper leftover from silkworm bedding devices. This new paper was much cheaper and safer than the other objects that were being tossed in Milan parades.

In 1885, paper confetti was first used as part of a New Year’s celebration that took place in Paris France. This was done on the spur of the moment after a casino owner sliced up old New Year’s decorations and tossed them at the next evening celebrations. 

The dropping of confetti in Times Square is a well-organized ritual. There actually is a confetti master named Treb Heining who oversees all related duties. He has been in charge of the celebration of New Year’s Eve at Times Square for over 20 years and still drops it in the conventional way. Although confetti delivery machinery has been built that include cannons and PVC barrels that deploy compressed air to spread the little pieces of paper in the air, Heining does not use any special machines. He has a select team of about seventy people who dump boxes of confetti from eight different buildings as the ball drops. I imagine the waiting list for that job is quite extensive.  

Wishing my readers a very belated Happy New Year!

Hudson Cooper is a resident of Sullivan County, a writer, comedian and actor.