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 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.
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
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
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.
One of the most venerable New Years traditions is the champaign toast at midnight to ring in the new year. Toasting can be traced back to the ancient Romans and Greeks who would pour wine, to be shared among those attending a religious function, from a common pitcher. The host would drink first, to assure his guests that the wine was not poisoned. Poisoning the wine was a fairly common practice in ancient times, designed to do away with one's enemies. In those days the wine was not as refined as it is today so a square of burned bread (toast) would be floated in the wine bowl and then eaten by the last person to drink. The bread was put there to absorb the extra acidity of the wine in order to make it more palatable. Eventually, the act of drinking in unison came to be called a toast, from the act of "toasting" or putting toast into the wine.
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 Scottish tune, "Auld Lang Syne" literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good old days." The lyrics can be found here.
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 Scottish tune, "Auld Lang Syne" literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good old days." The lyrics can be found here.
Copyright © 1997-2010, Jerry Wilson; Get Permission to Reprint
this article.
