History

New Years is the oldest celebrated of holidays.
Some 4000 years ago in ancient Babylon, it was first observed  by their people.
It began with the first crescent moon on the first day of spring equinox.

The celebration usually lasted 11 days. Each day had it mode to the celebration .
The Romans continued the celebration but their calendar was out of synchronization with the sun.
Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established the Julian Calendar because the calendar was so wrong.
In order to synchronize the calendar to the sun, it was dragged on for 445 days
Then in 567AD  ,it was abolished by the Council of Tours the month of January1.In favor of March as the actual day to coincide with the Vernal Equinox. The new year then was moved back to January 1, with the advent of the Gregorian Calendar by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.


Religious Aspects

In the early 1st century AD the Romans continued to celebrate New Years. The Catholic church
condemned the celebration claiming it was a festivity of paganism.  The observance became more prevailing and accepted as the time of the new born Christ. As time went on the  wide spread of Christianity in the world produced a wide variety of changes.

Christian celebrated with their own festivities for the New Year. Observed as the Feast of
Christ's Circumcision by some denominations.

In the Middle ages the church was opposed to such celebration. Since the actual holiday in the Western
nations, New years has actually only been celebrated the last 400 years.

Tradition     
The New Years holiday has many fine aspects. One of them is making New years resolutions.
Which dates back to 4000 years ago to the Ancient  Babylonian times. The resolution could be any
number of things from losing weight to , not swearing, or not drinking alcoholic beverages.
In Babylonian times it was the most popular resolution to return farm equipment barrowed.



 

The Tournament Roses dates back to 1886,where the Valley Hunt Club decorated their Carriages with
roses. Which was to elaborate on the ripening of Oranges in California.
The Tournament of Rose did not come till 1902 part of the celebration of the Rose Bowl Football games.
Fourteen years after that event it was replaced by Roman chariot race. Then in 19916 The rose bowl
became the centerfold of attraction again.


The tradition as to use babies as the start of a New Year was started six hundred BC in Greece.
It was to celebrate their god of wine, Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket , to represent
rebirth of their god of fertility. Even the Egyptian used a baby in their own celebrations.
 

The actual use of a baby was denounced by the Christian as paganism and later accepted.
Then the German brought the custom to America using the newborn as a symbol for a new year.
Now used since the 1400 it has become part of American Tradition to elaborate on the first born of the year. Usually the mother and father given gifts and public announcement in the whole country.


Luck Of New Year

It was strange that some would believe the luck of the year was based on what they ate or did, on the
first day of the year. So many would gather with friends and family on that night to bring in the holiday. With big hoopla parties that would last long
hours with plenty of food and festivities. Some would last even after midnight, New Years Day. It was believed  that the first guest to arrive that year being a dark haired , tall stranger would bring good luck, the rest of the year. Bad luck followed by the door for perpetrators of not those qualities .

 

Food

In some culture food had luck a circle represented good luck a cycle of a year. The Dutch celebrated by eating donuts in hope of good fortune. would come their way. Can you imagine the fat that gained from such a tradition. In many regions of this country USA people still believe foods have a luck draw. I wonder if Cheerios, onion rings, or bagels bring good luck.

Foods of Luck are

Cabbage -----Good Luck
Hog Meat ----Prosperity
Cabbage leave ----Prosperity (currency)
Rice ------- Good Luck
Black Eyed Peas------- Good Luck
 

Traditional Song Played

The coming of a traditional song "Auld Lang Syne' was a English favorite played at midnight New Years Eve. It is now heard in every English speaking country in the world .It was written by George Burns in the 1700s and published in 1796 after his death. Scottish in heart it means "long time ago"
in the good old day memories to jolt a once acquaintance.

Lyrics                                                            "Auld Lang Syne"

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and days of auld lang syne?