Confetti is made of small pieces of colorful paper thrown into the air during celebrations. At a New Year's Eve party, people toss handfuls of confetti as the clock strikes midnight, creating a shower of red, blue, gold, and silver flakes that float down like festive snow. Parades often end with confetti cannons shooting thousands of tiny paper pieces into the sky, covering streets in a rainbow carpet.

The tradition started in Italy, where people threw candies and flower petals during festivals. Eventually, people switched to paper because it was cheaper and easier to clean up (though anyone who's swept up after a birthday party might disagree about that last part).

Confetti marks moments of joy and excitement: weddings, graduations, championship victories, ticker-tape parades. When athletes win a major tournament, confetti rains down from the arena ceiling. The paper pieces themselves don't matter, of course. What matters is the celebration they represent, that explosive moment when everyone agrees something wonderful just happened and deserves to be marked with color, chaos, and joy falling from the sky.