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."
>
>
>
> ...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."