SO WHAT~ABOUT THE HAPPY NEW YEAR?

[Guest guest]

There are 4.6 days until 2008! 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 YEARSThe 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 n 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 CELEBRATIONSAlthough

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 TRADITIONSOther 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 ofwine, 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 YEARTraditionally,

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 SYNEThe

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 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.Auld Lang Syne Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne? For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne? And here's a hand, my trusty friend And gie's a hand o' thine We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet For auld lang syneLove~All~Ways*~Karma*