History of the new year
Hi, you found that blog quick you're the new emperor of Rome so what's the biggest problem you can solve on your first day in the office for Julius Caesar in 45 BC it was to fix the Roman calendar that was the first time in recorded history.
A New Year's Day celebration took place on January 1st January is named for Janus the Roman god of new beginnings Janus was known as a two-faced God with the ability to look backward to the past and forward to the future before the time of Julius Caesar the Romans tried to link their calendar to the cycles of the moon but they quickly ran into trouble
it was nearly impossible to keep a lunar calendar in the face with the turning of the seasons and public officials exploited the errors by adding these to keep politicians in power and yes to dabble in a little election meddling on the side things became more stable and more manageable by copying the Egyptians and basing the new Roman calendar
on the turning of the solar year the January first reference point eventually carried forward to the Gregorian calendar we use today no one knows for sure how far back New Year celebrations go but it's easy to imagine that the idea is as old as humanity itself the first record we have in history is from the ancient Babylonians
they put in a huge and complicated religious festival around the vernal equinox which is the day in late March that has equal hours of light and darkness this was the time when they honored deities crowned their rulers and recognized the symbolic start of their new year since then civilizations around the world have chosen some agricultural or astronomical event to mark the symbolic end of one year and the beginning of a new one.
In many countries, the traditional New Year celebration begins on the final evening of December known as New Year's Eve and the party continues well into New Year's Day while the symbols differ from one culture to the next most of them have something to do with new beginnings prosperity and good luck circular pastries like doughnuts and cakes that represent the annual cycle are popular,
In many cultures as are foods that suggest a resemblance to coins like lentils or black-eyed peas getting back to the ancient Babylonians for a moment they often get the credit for our modern practice of making New Year's resolutions they used to make promises to their favorite deities in hopes of gaining favor
In the new year by paying off debts or returning borrowed property there is something deeply human about craving a fresh start and looking ahead to a future filled with the possibility in the United States
New Year's Eve is often marked with an instrumental or vocal performance of the song auld lang syne which reaches back to an 18th century Robert Burns poem in modern English the title can be roughly translated as for the sake of the old times and it has come to symbolize a sentimental musical goodbye to the old year as we welcome the new one the song became attached to New Year's Eve.
When guy Lombardo's orchestra started playing at @midnight during their holiday radio broadcast from New York City's Rosabelle hotel in the 1920s the traditional kiss at midnight is an ancient good luck ritual when we're at our most vulnerable moment facing an uncertain new year in the darkness of winter.
we want to be close to people who hold good wishes for us and have our best interests at heart sparkling wine has been a part of public occasions for centuries but popping champagne corks and a special magic to New Year's Eve and our desire to start the new year with a little luxury and indulgence fireworks are part of many New Year's celebrations and in many cultures around the world dazzling fires explosions and beating drums
evolved as a way of frightening away evil spirits and clear the way for good luck when fireworks were banned in New York as a fire hazard in 1907 new york times publisher Aldo fox replaced them with 100 lightbulbs arranged around the wood and iron ball a 12 foot 12,000-pound version of his invention still drops at midnight every year on Times Square viewed by millions as are not to be missed new year's event not to be outdone other regions have developed their own symbolic New Year drops.
That represents their own local identity from peaches in Georgia to spuds in Idaho in the movies New Year's Eve is often portrayed as a very adult expensive black-tie affair but there's no reason why you can't create your own inclusive version for everyone in your family invite children into the celebration with fun crafts or cooking projects that symbolize their goals and dreams,
for the new year create a family dream board of experiences accomplishments or acts of service you'd like to try to see if there is an old promise you can keep or a relationship you can rekindle with a heartfelt wish for good luck and prosperity as the calendar turns from the old year to the new that's the story on the American New Year celebration we're all about joy happiness and holidays to keep up with all the best holiday ideas and fun histories then click the subscribe button.
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