Page 36 - 201001SEA - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - January 2010 SE

NewYeaarsEdition200912_june_july_2009.qxd 16/12/2009 2:32 PM Page 36 36 New Year’s Resolutions 36 New Year’s Resolutions The History fo New The History fo New Year’s Resolution Year’s Resolution The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar. With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year. The New Year has not always begun on January 1, and it doesn't begin on that date everywhere today. It begins on that date only for cultures that use a 365-day solar calendar. January 1 became the beginning of the New Year in 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that would more accurately reflect the seasons than previous calendars had. The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. He was always depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back. Thus he could look backward and forward at the same time. At particular mode of celebration, but it is safe to world. midnight on December 31, the Romans say that modern New Year's Eve festivities pale imagined Janus looking back at the old year and in comparison. Arabic: Kul 'aam u antum salimoun forward to the new. The Romans began a The Romans continued to observe the Brazilian: Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo means tradition of exchanging gifts on New Year's Eve New Year on March 25, but their calendar was "Good Parties and Happy New Year" by giving one another branches from sacred continually tampered with by various emperors Chinese: Chu Shen Tan trees for good fortune. Later, nuts or coins so that the calendar soon became out of Czechoslavakia: Scastny Novy Rok imprinted with the god Janus became more synchronization with the sun. In order to set the Dutch: Gullukkig Niuw Jaar common New Year's gifts. calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, Finnish: Onnellista Uutta Vuotta In the Middle Ages, Christians changed declared January 1 to be the beginning of the French: Bonne Annee New Year's Day to December 25, the birth of New Year. But tampering continued until Julius German: Prosit Neujahr Jesus. Then they changed it to March 25, a Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to Greek: Eftecheezmaenos o Kaenooryos hronos holiday called the Annunciation. In the be known as the Julian Calendar. It again Hebrew: L'Shannah Tovah Tikatevu sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII revised established January 1 as the New Year. But in Hindi: Niya Saa Moobaarak the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the order to synchronize the calendar with the sun, Irish (Gaelic): Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit New Year was returned to January 1. Caesar had to let the previous year drag on for Italian: Buon Capodanno The Julian and Gregorian calendars are 445 days. Khmer: Sua Sdei tfnam tmei solar calendars. Some cultures have lunar Laotian: Sabai dee pee mai calendars, however. A year in a lunar calendar is Chinese New Year Polish: Szczesliwego Nowego Roku less than 365 days because the months are based Portuguese: Feliz Ano Novo on the phases of the moon. The Chinese use a Except for a very few number of people Russian: S Novim Godom lunar calendar. Their new year begins at the who can keep track of when the Chinese New Serbo-Croatian: Scecna nova godina time of the first full moon (over the Far East) Year should be, the majority of the Chinese Spanish: Feliz Ano Neuvo or Prospero Ano after the sun enters Aquarius- sometime today have to rely on a typical Chinese calendar Nuevo between January 19 and February 21. to tell it. Therefore, you cannot talk of the Turkish: Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun Although the date for New Year's Day is Chinese New Year without mentioning the Vietnamese: Cung-Chuc Tan-Xuan not the same in every culture, it is always a time Chinese calendar at first. for celebration and for customs to ensure good A Chinese calendar consists of both the luck in the coming year. Gregorian and lunar-solar systems, with the Auld Lang Syne latter dividing a year into twelve month, each of Ancient New Years which is in turn equally divided into thirty- nine The song, "Auld Lang Syne," is sung at and a half days. The well-coordinated dual the stroke of midnight in almost every English- The celebration of the New Year is the system calendar reflects the Chinese ingenuity. speaking country in the world to bring in the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in There is also a system that marks the New Year. In spite of the popularity of 'Auld ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years in a twelve-year cycle, naming each of Lang Syne', it has aptly been described as the years around 2000 BC, Babylonians celebrated them after an animal such as Rat, Ox, Tiger, song that nobody knows. Even in Scotland, the beginning of a new year on what is now Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, hardly a gathering sings it correctly, without March 23, although they themselves had no Rooster, Dog and Boar. People born in a some members of the party butchering the written calendar. particular year are believed to share some of the words. Late March actually is a logical choice personalities of that particular animal. Written by Robert Burns in 1741, it was for the beginning of a new year. It is the time of first published in 1796 after Burns' death. "Auld year that spring begins and new crops are The Sounds of Happy New Year Lang Syne" literally means "old long ago," or planted. January 1, on the other hand, has no simply, "the good old days." astronomical nor agricultural significance. It is With the holiday season upon us, here's purely arbitrary. a list that's sure to be a tongue twister. See how HAPPY NEW YEAR The Babylonian New Year celebration Happy New Year is pronounced around the lasted for eleven days. Each day had its own EVERYONE!