Happy New Year! A Bit of History

The new year will be here soon. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated in many countries all around the world. Many of the customs are a lot alike. In many places it is celebrated with fireworks, toasting, or kissing at the stroke of midnight when the new year starts. In many English speaking countries they sing "Auld Lang Syne." The oldest records of celebrating the new year came from ancient Babylon. They celebrated New Year's during the first new moon after the vernal equinox. The Babylonians also started the tradition of making New Year's resolutions. It was the Roman emperor, Julius Caesar, that changed New Year's Day to January 1st. They celebrated the Roman god, Janus. He was the Roman god of beginnings. He had two faces and could look into the past or into the future. They decorated their homes with laurel branches, had parties, and gave out presents. The Romans offered sacrifices to Janus. Sometimes they offered him cakes of new meal and salt, new wine and frankincense. The sacrifice for New Year was usually a ram, and it had to be performed by men. Sometimes they made him offerings of milk, fruit, or cheese. The first of the new wine and the first of the harvested wheat were offered to him. We also owe our tradition of making a toast to the ancient Romans and Greeks. A square of burned bread, or toast, would be floated in a bowl or pitcher of wine. First the host drank, so his guests would know the wine was not poisoned and was safe to drink. The bowl was then passed from guest to guest. The one to drink the last of the wine ate the toast. The tradition of Baby New Year started in Greece around 600 BC, but was also used by the early Egyptians. The baby represented rebirth. They paraded a baby around in a basket. Many countries exchange gifts on New Year's Day. They were exchanging gifts as far back as the 7th century in Flanders and the Netherlands. Winter swimming is popular in many places. Swimmers gather on beaches and run into the icy water on New Year's Day. In Canada, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States, this is an honored tradition. People in the Philippines believe that a lot of loud noises will scare away the evil spirits that would bring bad luck to them in the new year. Many people have traditions involving certain foods to eat to ensure good luck in the new year. Many Spanish people believe that if they can eat 12 grapes before the final stroke of midnight, then the next 12 months will be good. The midnight meal of the Philippines always includes a basket of twelve different kinds of round fruit. That is to ensure prosperity for each month of the new year. The Turkish people eat pomegranates for good luck. Families in Greece and Cyprus eat Basil's pie. It has a coin baked inside. Whoever finds it will be lucky all year. A similar custom exists in Scandinavian countries. They eat rice pudding with one almond hidden in it. The person that finds the almond will have good luck all year. The Greeks bake a sweet bread with a coin baked inside. When the bread is sliced at midnight, the person who finds the coin is believed to have year good luck for a year. In the Netherlands, Mexico, Greece, and many other places, eating ring-shaped cakes and pastries bring good luck. The ring symbolizes the year coming full circle. The Dutch like to eat donuts on New Year's Day for good luck. Italian, Spanish, German, Cuban, Austrian, and Hungarian people believe that eating pork on New Year's Eve will bring them progress and prosperity in the coming year. Cabbage is another good luck food for the New Year. The cabbage leaf means money. A Pennsylvania Dutch (German) tradition calls for eating sauerkraut and pork for good luck. Legumes make people think of coins. They believe eating legumes brings luck and money. Legumes are considered a good luck food by the Portuguese, Italians, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, and Danish. The Italians eat green lentils and sausage. People in Brazil may eat eat lentil soup or rice and lentils. The Japanese believe that eating black beans will bring them good health for the year. In the Southern United States, black-eyed peas, pork (hog jowls or ham), and cornbread are a popular New Year's traditions. The cornbread means gold or money in the coming year.