 The
most casual encounter with history reveals that
the celebration of the New Year is
one of the oldest (if not the oldest) of all holidays known
to man. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about
4000 years ago.
And it wasn't always celebrated
on the first of January, either. In the years around 2000 BC, when the Babylonians
first began the celebration, the New Year began
with the first New Moon after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring).
Logically, the beginning of
spring is a natural time to start a New Year. After
all, it is the season of budding trees, planting new crops, and of new beginnings.
Conversely, January 1, has no significance, agriculturally, astronomically or
any other way. It is purely arbitrary as you see from the following:
The Chinese New Year is
celebrated on a different date each year. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish
New Year, is celebrated in September. India's New
Year, Diwali, is celebrated in October. In Iran (also
called Persia) the New Year called No Ruz, is celebrated
on the first day of spring. The Japanese celebrate New
Year's on January 1st, 2nd and January 3rd. In Japan, this holiday is
known as Shougastu, It is a three-day celebration.
While
it is easy to compile the difference in the dates
of celebration, it is not as easy to understand the meaning
of the different celebrations. This excerpt, from an
article written by Scott McConnell, (who writes for the
Ayn Rand Institute) entitled "What Is the Meaning of New
Years?" gives a glimpse of the dilemma. "
…the
meaning of most holidays is clear: Valentine's
Day celebrates romance; July Fourth, independence; Thanksgiving,
productivity; Christmas, good will toward men. The meaning
of New Year's Day--the world's
most celebrated holiday--is not so clear.
On
this day, many people remember last year's achievements
and failures and look forward to the promise of a New
Year, of a new beginning. But this celebration
and reflection is the result of more than an accident
of the calendar. New Year's has
a deeper significance. What is it? On New
Year's Day, when the singing, fireworks and champagne
toasts are over, many of us become more serious about
life. We take stock and plan new courses of action to
better our lives."
Which
leads us to this observation. It may be true that New
Years has a different meaning for different people.
That in some ways one year may seem like another, but
ever since the events of Sept`11, 2001, and the subsequent
events in Afghanistan and Iraq, the meaning for many
is like none other we've ever experienced…and
yet, viewed in the perspective of time, there is a familiar
pattern.
Well,
we're not smart enough or brash enough to make
any predictions for the New Year.
We well remember the words of Mark Twain who said, "The
art of prophecy is very difficult, especially about the
future." Nor would we suggest any New Year's resolutions,
which are one of the most popular rituals of New Years
(and usually broken in 30 days), but to paraphrase Henry
Thoreau, "things don't change, people do."
Try
to keep things in perspective. Just think about
where you were 10 years ago, what you believed in, what
was going on in the world and how different it is now
than it was then. We may be bruised, we may be shaken
(but we survived) and no doubt, things will continue
to change and evolve and we'll continue to survive. For
most people there is a need to find meaning in their
lives. Beliefs may differ. Rituals may differ. Prayers
may differ. But the search for meaning and understanding
is common throughout the world.
For
some, the past year may have been wildly successful;
a time of joy and prosperity…for others, a time
of tragic loss. Miraculously, time has a way of healing;
releasing us and letting us go forward…to celebrate
another year.
This
final note. As we ring out the old year, we pause
to note that this is the 100th issue of the Hot-Cold
newsletter that we started 4½ years ago. We hope
you have found them informative and easy to read and
promise to try and make them even more so as we begin
2005.
Happy New
Year!
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