That greeting will be said and heard for at least the first couple of weeks as a New Year gets under way. But the day we celebrate in modern America was not always January 1.
ANCIENT NEW YEAR’S New Year’s is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon (actually the first visible crescent) after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring). It lasted for eleven days. The Romans continued to observe it in late March, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors so the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun. In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the New Year. But tampering continued until, in 46 BC, Julius Caesar established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar which again established January 1 as the start of the New Year.
Epiphany, celebrated on January 6th 2008, celebrates Jesus’ baptism by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Epiphany is the climax of the Christmas Season which has come to be known as the Twelve Days of Christmas, which are usually counted from December 25th until January 5th; therefore, the day before Epiphany is the Twelfth Day of Christmas.
Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese year 4705 begins on Feb. 7, 2008. Known as Tet in Vietnamese, it lasts 15 days. Because it follows a lunar calendar it sometimes often falls in January, but not always. Families wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children “lucky money” in red envelopes.
The 1st of Muharram (New Year’s Day) – Islam
The month of Muharram marks the beginning of the Islamic liturgical year. It begins on the first day of Muharram, and is counted from the year of the Hegira—the year in which Muhammad emigrated from Mecca to Medina (A.D. July 16, 622). The New Year in 2008 is January 10th. The Islamic new year is celebrated relatively quietly, with prayers and readings and reflection upon the hegira.
How “HAPPY NEW YEAR” is said Around the World...
French: Bonnes fetes
German: Frohe Festtage
Spanish: Felices fiestas
Hindi: Chuttiyo Ki Shubkaamnayein
Italian: Buone Feste
Swahili: Kullu Sana wa Antum bi-Khayr
Ukrainian: Veselykh sviat
