Happy New Years!

December 30, 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Did you know that the celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays?  It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago.  In 2000 BC the New Year was celebrated after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring).  Spring was the season of rebirth.  January 1 has been celebrated as a holiday by western nations for only about 400 years.

NEW YEAR TRADITIONS
The Tournament of Roses Parade dates back to 1886. It celebrated the ripening of the orange crop in California. The Rose Bowl football game was played as part of the Tournament of Roses in 1902; however, it was replaced by Roman chariot races the following year. In 1916 the football games returned.

FOR LUCK IN THE NEW YEAR
It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if the visitor was a tall dark-haired man. Foods that were thought to bring good luck if eaten on New Year's Day were: donuts (anything in the shape of a ring was good luck because it symbolized "coming full circle"), black-eyed peas and other legumes, pork (a sign of prosperity), and cabbage leaves (also considered a sign of prosperity).

AULD LANG SYNE
An old Scottish tune, it literally means "old long ago," or simply "the good old days."

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Alice T.
Buckner Branch