Page 38 - 201001SEA - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - January 2010 SE

NewYeaarsEdition200912_june_july_2009.qxd 16/12/2009 2:32 PM Page 38 38 New Year’s Trivia 38 New Year’s Trivia New Year’s Trivia Year they burn crackers to scare the evil spirits. Robert Burns wrote the lyrics to Auld Lang New Year’s Trivia The doors and windows of every home in china Syne in the 1700's. can be seen sealed with paper. This is to keep 1) Hogmanay : the evil demons out. Auld Lang Syne Auld Lang Syne The New Year in Scotland is called Robert Burns Hogmanay. The people in Scotland follow a 9) Times Square Celebrations : Robert Burns ritual that appears nutty but actually has a great The first Ball Lowering celebration atop significance. One can find barrels of tar set afire One Times Square was held on December 31, and gradually rolled down the streets in the 1907 and is now a worldwide symbol of the turn Should auld acquaintance be forgot, villages of Scotland. This ritual symbolizes that of the New Year, seen via satellite by more than and never brought to mind? the old year is burned up and New Year is going one billion people each year. The original New Should auld acquaintance be forgot to begin. Year's Eve Ball weighed 700 pounds and was 5 and days of auld lang syne? feet in diameter. It was made of iron and wood 2) Baby New Year Tradition : and was decorated with 100 25-watt light bulbs. For auld lang syne, my dear, The tradition of using a baby to signify For auld lang syne, the New Year was started around 600 B.C by the 10) Foods : We'll take a cup o' kindness yet ancient Greeks, who, at the start of a year would It was thought that one could affect the For auld lang syne carry a baby around in a basket. The purpose of luck they would have throughout the coming it was to honor Dionysus, the God of Fertility year by what they did or ate on the first day of We twa hae run aboot the braes and symbolize his annual rebirth. the year. It is still held in some regions that And pou'd the gowans fine; special New Year foods are the harbingers of we've wander'd mony a weary foot 3) Burning "Mr. Old Year" : luck. For that reason, the Dutch believe that Sin' auld lang syne In Columbia, Cuba and Puerto Rico eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring families stuff a life-size male doll with things good fortune. The hog, and its meat, is We two hae paidled i' the burn, and then they dress it up in old clothes from considered lucky because it symbolizes Frae mornin' sun till dine; each family member. At the stroke of midnight, prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" But seas between us braid hae roar'd this 'Mr. Old Year' is set on fire. This is done vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day Sin' auld lang syne with the simple belief that a doll thus stuffed by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a have bad memories or sadness associated with sign of prosperity, being representative of paper And here's a hand, my trusty friend, them, and that the burning of these will help one currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food And gie's a hand o' thine; to do away with all past griefs and usher in that is eaten on New Year's Day. The ancient We'll take a cup o' kindness yet happiness in life with the coming year. Persians gave New Year's gifts of eggs, which For auld lang syne symbolized productiveness. 4) Eating 12 Grapes : Should auld acquaintance be forgot, In Spain people eat 12 grapes as the 11) Rings : and never brought to mind? clock strikes midnight (one each time the clock Many cultures believe that anything in Should auld acquaintance be forgot chimes) on New Year's Eve. This peculiar ritual the shape of a ring is good luck, because it and days of auld lang syne? originated in the twentieth century when freak symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a weather conditions resulted in an unseasonable year's cycle. For auld lang syne, my dear, bumper harvest of grapes. Not able to decide For auld lang syne, what to do about so many grapes at Christmas 12) Black-eyed peas : We'll take a cup o' kindness yet time, the King of Spain and the grape growers Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year For auld lang syne came up with the idea of the New Year ritual. by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes Now, if only this happened all around the are typically accompanied by either hog jowls world... or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many 5) Eating Noodles : cultures. Late on the evening of December 3 1, people of Japan would eat a bowl of buckwheat 13) Wearing new slippers : noodles called "toshikoshisoba" ("year-crossing In China, many people wear in the new year a noodles") and listen for the sound of the new pair of slippers that is bought before the Buddhist temple bells, which were rung 108 new year, because it means to step on the people times at midnight. The sound of these bells is who gossip about you. said to purify the listeners of the 108 sins or evil passions that plague every human being. 14) Sealed doors & windows : During new year , the doors and windows of 6) Gifts in Shoes : every home in china can be seen sealed with In Greece children leave their shoes by paper. The Chinese think that this will succeeed the fireside on New Year's Day (also the in keep the evil demons out. Festival of Saint Basil in Greece) with the hope that Saint Basil, who was famous for his Auld Lang Syne Auld Lang Syne kindness, will come and fill their shoes with History & Lyrics gifts. History & Lyrics 7) Carrying a Suitcase : In Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, and Auld Lang Syne (The Good Old Days) Mexico, those with hopes of traveling in the is a song traditionally sung at midnight when New Year carry a suitcase around the house at horns are blown, confetti is thrown, and a midnight. Some even carry it around the block general party atmosphere is created to ring in to ensure traveling at greater distances. the New Year with happiness and hope for a bright and prosperous year. The outgoing year is 8) Burning Crackers : often represented by an elderly man known as The people in China believe that there Father Time and the new year is represented by are evil spirits that roam the earth. So on New a baby known as Baby New Year.