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NEW YEAR’S, IS IT JANUARY 1ST?
by Jim Starks
New Year’s is the most widely celebrated holiday. It is celebrated all over the world by nations and different religious groups. For instance, Ancient Babylon around 4000 BC celebrated it, but in March. They used the occasion to return farm implements borrowed from their neighbors. Jewish people celebrate Rosh Hashanah as their New Year. They hold special religious services, eat special food and give children new clothes. Last year it started on September 30th.This year it will start on September 18th.
The Chinese celebrate New Year’s some time between January 17 and February 19 and it changes every year. In the year 2009 it will be January 26, the year of the Ox.
In the year 46 B.C. Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar which was a vast improvement over the ancient Roman calendar and established January 1st as the beginning of the New Year. In 567 January 1st was abolished and at various times and in various places throughout medieval Christian Europe the new year was celebrated on Dec. 25th. In 1582 the Gregorian calendar reform restored Jan 1st as New Year’s Day.
As a youngster, my older brother and I were allowed to stay up to celebrate the New Year. We were armed with a hand rattle and a tin horn and at the right moment we went out on our front porch and shook the rattle, blew the horn and screamed at the top of our lungs,”Happy New Year!” We went back inside and went to bed.
After World War II, a large group of us young people used to hold New Year’s Eve parties with lots of food and drinks. We listened to Guy Lombardo and watched the ball drop in Times Square. We often continued to celebrate the New Year in the various time zones across the country. There were many handshakes and embraces as we celebrated the New Year as it arrived in Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles.
Over time the group dwindled down to two couples. At that time we had a special meal at home and listened to the activities in Times Square. When we tired of cooking at home we went out for an early meal and returned home to dessert and a beverage and we again watched the ball drop in Times Square.
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