NEW YEAR BRINGS MEMORIES OF THE PAST...
Domingo Ivan Casaņas
December 16, 2005
Well the year 2006 is around the corner and I anxiously wait for a new era of caring, love, prosperity and happiness. Being one of the oldest of all holidays the New Year celebration was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4,000 years ago. In the year around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year would begin with the first new moon. This would correspond to late March around the first day of spring. In 153 BC the Romans declared January 1 to be the beginning of the New Year, and finally in 46 BC Julius Caesar made if official with the start of the Julian calendar.
The early Catholic Church condemmened the festivities of the New Year as Paganism. With time that too changed, and today even some denominations observe New Year as the feast of Christ?s circumcision. The festivities became a night to remember with friends, family and loved ones. It was the Babylonians who we owe the making of resolutions to.In their days the most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. The tradition of using a baby to signify the New Year was began in Greece and in 600 BC the early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth. But, it was the Germans who brought the used of this symbol of a baby to early America in the 14th century.
I remember my New Years in Cuba, which I miss because I no longer have my parents.(we used to follow the tradition in the United States until they passed away) Similar to Puerto Rico the day before New Years I remember everyone cleaning their home, yards, cars, even sweeping the streets. Why, you might ask, because it was a belief in our tradition that in whatever conditions the New Year found our property that is how it would stay for the rest of the year. In a way it was like out with the old and in with the new. Everyone would stay up until midnight to bring in the New Year, and to have a feast that would include, a Roast Pig, Rice, Black Beans, Yucca, and Desserts.
Before the meal however, right at midnight two things would take place, first the owner of the house where everyone is at would fill a bucket of water and at midnight would throw it in the middle of the street as a good luck ritual in which you are throwing out all the negative from the household from the previous year. The second ritual would be to eat 12 grapes at midnight one for every hour of the midnight chimes. This symbolizes a good luck for the next twelve months of the New Year.
Many different ethnic backgrounds have different traditions when it comes to the New Year; I know some people eat donuts on the first day of the year as a good luck symbol.
They believe that because it has a shape of a ring, and symbolizes ?coming full circle? that it will bring good fortunes in the New Year. Here in the United States I know others that eat black-eye peas accompanied by hog jowls or ham for good luck, yet others eat cabbage (I no like :) for their good luck.
As we all prepare to do our own things in bringing in the 2006 New Year I urge all of you to first be safe, be in good company, forgive those that have done you wrong, and start fresh in knowing that you can make a big difference in other peoples life, your own life and with new resolutions that can be met. It is the human tendency to always say wait until next year. Well, my friends next year is just around the corner and it would be wise to take advantage of the New Year 2006 to actually make a commitment to being nicer, happier, loving , polite, and above all let us teach our children to be productive members of our society, to go beyond their comfort zone when it comes to learning and to respect those teachers at their schools that are doing their best to give them a valuable education. I wish you all a very Happy New Year with the reminder that any procrastination should be left behind with the previous year so that you may embark into 2006 on overdrive.
By Domingo Casa?/p>
The early Catholic Church condemmened the festivities of the New Year as Paganism. With time that too changed, and today even some denominations observe New Year as the feast of Christ?s circumcision. The festivities became a night to remember with friends, family and loved ones. It was the Babylonians who we owe the making of resolutions to.In their days the most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. The tradition of using a baby to signify the New Year was began in Greece and in 600 BC the early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth. But, it was the Germans who brought the used of this symbol of a baby to early America in the 14th century.
I remember my New Years in Cuba, which I miss because I no longer have my parents.(we used to follow the tradition in the United States until they passed away) Similar to Puerto Rico the day before New Years I remember everyone cleaning their home, yards, cars, even sweeping the streets. Why, you might ask, because it was a belief in our tradition that in whatever conditions the New Year found our property that is how it would stay for the rest of the year. In a way it was like out with the old and in with the new. Everyone would stay up until midnight to bring in the New Year, and to have a feast that would include, a Roast Pig, Rice, Black Beans, Yucca, and Desserts.
Before the meal however, right at midnight two things would take place, first the owner of the house where everyone is at would fill a bucket of water and at midnight would throw it in the middle of the street as a good luck ritual in which you are throwing out all the negative from the household from the previous year. The second ritual would be to eat 12 grapes at midnight one for every hour of the midnight chimes. This symbolizes a good luck for the next twelve months of the New Year.
Many different ethnic backgrounds have different traditions when it comes to the New Year; I know some people eat donuts on the first day of the year as a good luck symbol.
They believe that because it has a shape of a ring, and symbolizes ?coming full circle? that it will bring good fortunes in the New Year. Here in the United States I know others that eat black-eye peas accompanied by hog jowls or ham for good luck, yet others eat cabbage (I no like :) for their good luck.
As we all prepare to do our own things in bringing in the 2006 New Year I urge all of you to first be safe, be in good company, forgive those that have done you wrong, and start fresh in knowing that you can make a big difference in other peoples life, your own life and with new resolutions that can be met. It is the human tendency to always say wait until next year. Well, my friends next year is just around the corner and it would be wise to take advantage of the New Year 2006 to actually make a commitment to being nicer, happier, loving , polite, and above all let us teach our children to be productive members of our society, to go beyond their comfort zone when it comes to learning and to respect those teachers at their schools that are doing their best to give them a valuable education. I wish you all a very Happy New Year with the reminder that any procrastination should be left behind with the previous year so that you may embark into 2006 on overdrive.
By Domingo Casa?/p>
Print
Email
