Happy New Year 2001

New Year's began in 46 BC when Julius Caesar developed a more accurate calendar. The Romans called the first month Janus after the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. The Romans started a tradition of giving gifts on New Year's Eve. They gave each other branches from sacred trees for good luck. As time went on they gave nuts or coins with the god Janus picture on them.

By the Middle Ages the Christians changed New Year's Day to December 25, the birthday of Jesus. Then they decided to change it to March 25th. They called this holiday "The Annunciation." Pope Gregory changed the date on the Julian calendar back to January 1st.

The Julian and Gregorian calendars are based on the sun they are called solar. There are other calendars that are based on the phases of the moon, they are called lunar. Lunar calendars are less than 365 days. The Chinese celebrate their New Year's based on the lunar calendar, sometime between January 19 and February 21. Each year is associated with an animal, such as a dragon, dog or tiger etc... Every animal has a symbolic meaning. "I was born in the year of the dog."

The Jew's call their New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Their first month is called Tishri. This falls in either September or October of the solar calendar. The Rabbi blows a shofar (which is a ram's horn) to announce the New Year. The Islam's have only 354 days in their year. Their first month is called Muharram.

There are different ways of celebrating New Year's all over the world. In the United States a large crowd gathers at Times Square in New York City to watch as Dick Clark officiates over festivities and at midnight with everyone watching the big ball is dropped and another year is welcomed in with the song "Auld Lang Syne," which was written by, Robert Burns, a Scotsman, some 200 years ago. A lot of people choose to go to parties on this festive night or to extravagant balls. Like the one that goes on in New York.

I have never been to the celebration in New York but every year I watch it on TV with my family in my warm living room. Then everyone that is not there calls each other to wish each other a safe and Happy New Year. On New Year's day my father has a tradition of cooking a big pot of black-eyed peas. He said that cooking them is good luck, something to do with how much money you will make in the up coming year. He is from North Carolina. They had a lot of interesting folklore from the mountains in Cranberry where he grew up.

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