New Year. 2012: History, Ancient New Years Global Good Luck Traditions Chinese New Year

8/3/2019 New Year. 2012: History, Ancient New Years Global Good Luck Traditions Chinese New Year

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Celebration of New Years Day

History, Ancient New Years Global Good Luck Traditions ChineseNew Year

La Diaspora peruana

New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year onthe modern Gregorian as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome.With most countries using the Gregorian calendar as their main calendar, New

Year's Day is the closest thing to being the world's only truly global publicholiday, often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the New

Year starts. January 1 on the Julian calendar currently corresponds to January


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14 on the Gregorian calendar, and it is on that date that followers of some ofthe Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate the New Year.

History

The Romans dedicated this day toJanus, the god of gates, doors, andbeginnings. After Julius Caesarreformed the calendar in 46 BC andwas subsequently murdered, theRoman Senate voted to deify himon the 1st January 42 BC in honor ofhis life and his institution of the newrationalized calendar. The monthoriginally owes its name to the deity

Janus, who had two faces, onelooking forward and the other

looking backward. This suggeststhat New Year's celebrations arefounded on pagan traditions. Somehave suggested this occurred in 153BC, when it was stipulated that thetwo annual consuls (after whosenames the years were identified)entered into office on that day,though no consensus exists on thematter. Dates in March, coincidingwith the spring equinox, orcommemorating the Annunciation

of Jesus, along with a variety ofChristian feast dates were usedthroughout the Middle Ages, thoughcalendars often continued to displaythe months in columns running from

January to December.

Among the 7th century pagans ofFlanders and the Netherlands, itwas the custom to exchange gifts at

the New Year. This was a pagancustom deplored by Saint Eligius(died 659 or 660), who warned theFlemings and Dutchmen, "(Do not)make vetulas, [little figures of theOld Woman], little deer or iotticos orset tables [for the house-elf,compare Puck] at night or exchangeNew Year gifts or supply superfluousdrinks [another Yule custom]." Thequote is from the vita of Eligiuswritten by his companion, Ouen.

Most countries in Western Europeofficially adopted January 1 as New

Year's Day somewhat before theyadopted the Gregorian calendar. InEngland, the Feast of theAnnunciation on March 25 was thefirst day of the New Year until theadoption of the Gregorian calendarin 1752. The March 25 date wasknown as Annunciation Style; the

January 1 date was known asCircumcision Style, because thiswas the date of the Feast of theCircumcision, being the eighth daycounting from December 25 whenChrist was believed to be born. Thisday was christened as thebeginning of the New Year by PopeGregory as he designed theLiturgical Calendar

The New Year has not always

begun on January 1, and it doesn'tbegin on that date everywheretoday. It begins on that date onlyfor cultures that use a 365-day solarcalendar. January 1 became thebeginning of the New Year in 46B.C., when Julius Caesar developeda calendar that would more


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accurately reflect the seasons thanprevious calendars had.

The Romans named the first monthof the year after Janus, the god ofbeginnings and the guardian of

doors and entrances. He was alwaysdepicted with two faces, one on thefront of his head and one on theback. Thus he could look backwardand forward at the same time. Atmidnight on December 31, theRomans imagined Janus lookingback at the old year and forward tothe new.

The Romans began a tradition ofexchanging gifts on New Year's Eveby giving one another branchesfrom sacred trees for good fortune.Later, nuts or coins imprinted withthe god Janus became morecommon New Year's gifts.

In the middle Ages, Christianschanged New Year's Day toDecember 25, the birth of Jesus.

Then they changed it to March 25, aholiday called the Annunciation. In

the sixteenth century, Pope GregoryXIII revised the Julian calendar, andthe celebration of the New Year wasreturned to January 1.

The Julian and Gregorian calendarsare solar calendars. Some cultureshave lunar calendars, however. Ayear in a lunar calendar is less than365 days because the months arebased on the phases of the moon.

The Chinese use a lunar calendar.

Their new year begins at the time ofthe first full moon (over the FarEast) after the sun enters Aquarius-sometime between January 19 andFebruary 21.

Although the date for New Year'sDay is not the same in everyculture, it is always a time for

celebration and for customs toensure good luck in the comingyear.

Ancient New Years

The celebration of the New Year isthe oldest of all holidays. It was firstobserved in ancient Babylon about4000 years ago. In the years around2000 BC, Babylonians celebratedthe beginning of a new year onwhat is now March 23, althoughthey themselves had no writtencalendar.

Late March actually is a logical

choice for the beginning of a newyear. It is the time of year thatspring begins and new crops areplanted. January 1, on the otherhand, has no astronomical noragricultural significance. It is purelyarbitrary.

The Babylonian New Yearcelebration lasted for eleven days.Each day had its own particularmode of celebration, but it is safe to

say that modern New Year's Evefestivities pale in comparison.

The Romans continued to observethe New Year on March 25, but theircalendar was continually tamperedwith by various emperors so thatthe calendar soon became out ofsynchronization with the sun.

In order to set the calendar right,the Roman senate, in 153 BC,

declared January 1 to be thebeginning of the New Year. Buttampering continued until JuliusCaesar, in 46 BC, established whathas come to be known as the Juliancalendar. It again established

January 1 as the New Year. But inorder to synchronize the calendar


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with the sun, Caesar had to let theprevious year drag on for 445 days.

Global Good LuckTraditions

With New Year's upon us, here's alook at some of the good luck ritualsfrom around the world. They arebelieved to bring good fortune andprosperity in the coming year.

AUSTRIA - The suckling pig is thesymbol for good luck for the New

Year. It's served on a tabledecorated with tiny edible pigs.Dessert often consists of greenpeppermint ice cream in the shapeof a four-leaf clover.

ENGLAND - The British place theirfortunes for the coming year in thehands of their first guest. Theybelieve the first visitor of each yearshould be male and bearing gifts.

Traditional gifts are coal for the fire,a loaf for the table and a drink forthe master. For good luck, the guest

should enter through the front doorand leave through the back. Guestswho are empty-handed or unwantedare not allowed to enter first.

WALES - At the first toll ofmidnight, the back door is openedand then shut to release the oldyear and lock out all of its bad luck.

Then at the twelfth stroke of theclock, the front door is opened andthe New Year is welcomed with all

of its luck.

HAITI - In Haiti, New Year's Day is asign of the year to come. Haitianswear new clothing and exchangegifts in the hope that it will bodewell for the New Year.

SICILY - An old Sicilian traditionsays good luck will come to thosewho eat lasagna on New Year's Day,but woe if you dine on macaroni, forany other noodle will bring bad luck.

SPAIN - In Spain, when the clockstrikes midnight, the Spanish eat 12grapes, one with every toll, to bringgood luck for the 12 months ahead.

PERU - The Peruvian New Year'scustom is a spin on the Spanishtradition of eating 12 grapes at theturn of the year. But in Peru, a 13thgrape must be eaten to assure goodluck.

GREECE - A special New Year'sbread is baked with a coin buried inthe dough. The first slice is for theChrist child, the second for thefather of the household and thethird slice is for the house. If thethird slice holds the coin, spring willcome early that year.

JAPAN - The Japanese decoratetheir homes in tribute to lucky gods.

One tradition, kadomatsu, consistsof a pine branch symbolizinglongevity, a bamboo stalksymbolizing prosperity, and a plumblossom showing nobility.

CHINA- For the Chinese New Year,every front door is adorned with afresh coat of red paint, red being asymbol of good luck and happiness.Although the whole family preparesa feast for the New Year, all knives

are put away for 24 hours to keepanyone from cutting themselves,which is thought to cut the family'sgood luck for the next year.

UNITED STATES - The kiss sharedat the stroke of midnight in theUnited States is derived frommasked balls that have been


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common throughout history. Astradition has it, the maskssymbolize evil spirits from the oldyear and the kiss is the purificationinto the New Year.

NORWAY - Norwegians make ricepudding at New Year's and hide onewhole almond within. Guaranteedwealth goes to the person whoseserving holds the lucky almond.

Chinese New Year

Except for a very few number ofpeople who can keep track of whenthe Chinese New Year should be,

the majority of the Chinese todayhave to rely on a typical Chinesecalendar to tell it. Therefore, youcannot talk of the Chinese New Yearwithout mentioning the Chinesecalendar at first.

A Chinese calendar consists of boththe Gregorian and lunar-solarsystems, with the latter dividing ayear into twelve month, each ofwhich is in turn equally divided into

thirty- nine and a half days. Thewell-coordinated dual systemcalendar reflects the Chineseingenuity.

There is also a system that marksthe years in a twelve-year cycle,naming each of them after ananimal such as Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare,

Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep,Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar.People born in a particular year arebelieved to share some of thepersonalities of that particularanimal.

References

1. Warrior, Valerie M. (2006).

Roman Religion. Cambridge

University Press. p. 110. ISBN

0521825113

2. Courtney, G.Et tu Judas,

then fall Jesus (Universe, Inc 1992),

p. 50.

3. Michels, A.K. The Calendar

of the Roman Republic (Princeton,1967), p. 97-8.

4. "Watch Night services

provide spiritual way to bring in

New Year".The United Methodist

Church.

http://www.interpretermagazine.org/

interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=11612.

Retrieved 28 December 2011. "The

service is loosely constructed with

singing, spontaneous prayers and

testimonials, and readings, including

the Covenant Renewal service from

The United Methodist Book of

Worship (pp. 288-294)."

5. 6. DRMC rounds up prizes forNew Year's baby, Life Choices

7. Wilkipidia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0521825113http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0521825113http://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=11612http://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=11612http://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=11612http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_United_Methodist_Churchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_United_Methodist_Churchhttp://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=11612http://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=11612http://www.stategazette.com/story/1489857.htmlhttp://www.stategazette.com/story/1489857.htmlhttp://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=11612http://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=11612http://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=11612http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_United_Methodist_Churchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_United_Methodist_Churchhttp://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=11612http://www.interpretermagazine.org/interior.asp?ptid=43&mid=11612http://www.stategazette.com/story/1489857.htmlhttp://www.stategazette.com/story/1489857.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0521825113http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0521825113

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New Year. 2012: History, Ancient New Years Global Good Luck Traditions Chinese New Year