Happy New Year!

Amos Stevens

New Member
> It's Another New Year...
>
>
>
> ...but for what reason?
> "Happy New Year!" That greeting will be said and
> heard
> for at least the first couple of weeks as a new year
> gets under way. But the day celebrated as New Year's
> Day in modern America was not always January 1.
> ANCIENT NEW YEARS
> The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all
> holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon
> about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC,
> the
> Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon
> (actually the first visible cresent) after the
> Vernal
> Equinox (first day of spring).
>
> The beginning of spring is a logical time to start a
> new year. After all, it is the season of rebirth, of
> planting new crops, and of blossoming. January 1, on
> the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural
> significance. It is purely arbitrary.
>
> The Babylonian new year celebration lasted for
> eleven
> days. Each day had its own particular mode of
> celebration, but it is safe to say that modern New
> Year's Eve festivities pale in comparison.
>
> The Romans continued to observe the new year in
> late
> March, but their calendar was continually tampered
> with by various emperors so that the calendar soon
> became out of synchronization with the sun.
>
> In order to set the calendar right, the Roman
> senate,
> in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of
> the new year. But tampering continued until Julius
> Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be
> known as the Julian Calendar. It again established
> January 1 as the new year. But in order to
> synchronize
> the calendar with the sun, Caesar had to let the
> previous year drag on for 445 days.
>
> THE CHURCH'S VIEW OF NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS
> Although in the first centuries AD the Romans
> continued celebrating the new year, the early
> Catholic
> Church condemned the festivities as paganism. But as
> Christianity became more widespread, the early
> church
> began having its own religious observances
> concurrently with many of the pagan celebrations,
> and
> New Year's Day was no different. New Years is still
> observed as the Feast of Christ's Circumcision by
> some
> denominations.
>
> During the Middle Ages, the Church remained opposed
> to
> celebrating New Years. January 1 has been celebrated
> as a holiday by Western nations for only about the
> past 400 years.
>
> NEW YEAR TRADITIONS
> Other traditions of the season include the making
> of
> New Year's resolutions. That tradition also dates
> back
> to the early Babylonians. Popular modern resolutions
> might include the promise to lose weight or quit
> smoking. The early Babylonian's most popular
> resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.
>
> The Tournament of Roses Parade dates back to 1886.
> In
> that year, members of the Valley Hunt Club decorated
> their carriages with flowers. It celebrated the
> ripening of the orange crop in California.
>
> Although the Rose Bowl football game was first
> played
> as a part of the Tournament of Roses in 1902, it was
> replaced by Roman chariot races the following year.
> In
> 1916, the football game returned as the sports
> centerpiece of the festival.
>
> The tradition of using a baby to signify the new
> year
> was begun in Greece around 600 BC. It was their
> tradition at that time to celebrate their god of
> wine,
> Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket,
> representing
> the annual rebirth of that god as the spirit of
> fertility. Early Egyptians also used a baby as a
> symbol of rebirth.
>
> Although the early Christians denounced the practice
> as pagan, the popularity of the baby as a symbol of
> rebirth forced the Church to reevaluate its
> position.
> The Church finally allowed its members to celebrate
> the new year with a baby, which was to symbolize the
> birth of the baby Jesus.
>
> The use of an image of a baby with a New Years
> banner
> as a symbolic representation of the new year was
> brought to early America by the Germans. They had
> used
> the effigy since the fourteenth century.
>
> FOR LUCK IN THE NEW YEAR
> Traditionally, it was thought that one could affect
> the luck they would have throughout the coming year
> by
> what they did or ate on the first day of the year.
> For
> that reason, it has become common for folks to
> celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year
> in
> the company of family and friends. Parties often
> last
> into the middle of the night after the ringing in of
> a
> new year. It was once believed that the first
> visitor
> on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or
> bad
> luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky
> if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired
> man.
>
>
> Traditional New Year foods are also thought to
> bring
> luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the
> shape
> of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes
> "coming
> full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that
> reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New
> Year's Day will bring good fortune.
>
> Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by
> consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are
> typically
> accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed
> peas and other legumes have been considered good
> luck
> in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is
> considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity.
> Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is
> consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves
> are
> also considered a sign of prosperity, being
> representative of paper currency. In some regions,
> rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's
> Day.
>
> AULD LANG SYNE
> The song, "Auld Lang Syne," playing in the
> background,
> is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every
> English-speaking country in the world to bring in
> the
> new year. At least partially written by Robert Burns
> in the 1700's, it was first published in 1796 after
> Burns' death. Early variations of the song were sung
> prior to 1700 and inspired Burns to produce the
> modern
> rendition. An old Scotch tune, "Auld Lang Syne"
> literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good
> old days."
 

Mama San

Administrator
Grandson,
A very Happy and Prosperous New Year to you, Annette and the rest of the family!!
God bless,
Grandma C. [Mama san]
 

Amos Stevens

New Member
I thought I would make an addition to this topic about tonight when everyone goes out to party till morning! Don't leave your brain at home cause you know someone out there will be!No shooting guns in the air or driving when you have had too much to drink! Play it safe & lets have a great New Year for everyone!
 
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