A New Happy New Year!

If you are wondering what all the hubbub is about, that's understandable.  But this is a holiday that has been celebrated since ancient Babylonian times, more than 4,000 years ago.  So even they believed that the changing years were worth acknowledging in the most magnificent ways.

They practiced a fertility ritual, lasting eleven days and beginning with the Vernal Equinox--the onset of Spring.  When the world around these people came to life again, they engaged in various forms of debauchery that we would be hard-pressed to match.  Even resolutions originated with them and were incredibly popular in their culture.  This seasonal occasion continued until the Romans assumed control of the major civilizations.

Then they celebrated New Year's in March until 153 BC, when the Senate declared January 1 as the day of acclaim.  Many argue that this took place because it was the month of the god Janus.  He had two faces, one looking forward and one looking backward.  Janus was also the guardian of doors and gates, thus going out and coming in.

Among the various cultural traditions of the day was the use of the baby to represent rebirth, which started in Greece around 600 BC.  There it was associated with their god of wine, Dionysus.  Forced to surrender to this particular tradition, Christians adopted the infant as part of a Nativity scene, now associated specifically with Christmas.  But it maintained a more secular connection as Baby New Year, which became especially predominant in the cartoons and advertisements of the Victorian Era.

As for other customs, even the Babylonians believed that you could influence your luck with start of year pursuits.  The Romans and Greeks began the practice of the toast for good health and prosperity.  Drinks literally contained a piece of cooked bread to absorb the acidity, therefore establishing the name of the activity. 

In the US, upcoming fortune became linked to pork, black-eyed peas, and cabbage.  While many argue that hog and legumes have long been considered promising portents, and cabbage represents the green of money, the explanation is probably much simpler.  If one is already fortunate enough to have a pig to kill in winter, access to leafy vegetables in cold months, and enough peas for eating and planting, then they have luck to celebrate and likely more to come.

"Auld Lang Syne" is a Celtic song meaning "Old Long Ago."  Like other such tunes, it is so ancient that its origins are indeterminate, but Scottish poet Robert Burns is given credit for setting established words to the music, which was formally published after his death in the late 1700's.  It is a melody of farewell to times and people and events of the past, be they good or bad.

So let's drink a cup of kindness yet to 2010, bid it farewell, and turn a forward-looking face toward 2011.  Happy New Year to all.  May each day be better than the one which preceded it.

V K