nEw yEAr trADitions
"hAppy nEw yEAr!", 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 CElEBrAtED As nEw yEAr’sDAy in moDErnAmEriCA wAs not AlwAys jAnuAry 1.
AnCiEnt nEw yEArs
thE CElEBrAtion oF thE nEw yEAr is thE olDEst oF All holiDAys. it wAs First oBsErvED in AnCiEntBABylon ABout 4000 yEArs Ago. in thE yEArs ArounD 2000BC, thEBAByloniAn nEw yEAr BEgAn with thE First nEw moon (ACtuAlly thE First visiBlE CrEsCEnt) AFtEr thE vErnAlEquinox (First DAy oF spring).
thE BEginning oF spring is A logiCAl timE to stArt A nEw yEAr.AFtEr All, it is thE sEAson oF rEBirth, oF plAnting nEw Crops, AnD oF ’Blossoming. jAnuAry 1, on thE othEr hAnD, hAs no AstronomiCAl or AgriCulturAl signiFiCAnCE. it is purEly ArBitrAry.
thEBAByloniAn nEw yEAr CElEBrAtion lAstED For ElEvEn DAys.EACh DAy hAD its own pArtiCulAr moDE oF CElEBrAtion, But it is sAFE to sAy thAt moDErn nEw yEAr’sEvE FEstivitiEs pAlE in CompArison.
thE romAns ContinuED to oBsErvE thE nEw yEAr in lAtE mArCh, But thEir CAlEnDAr wAs ContinuAlly tAmpErED with By vArious EmpErors so thAt thE CAlEnDAr soon BECAmE out oF synChronizAtion with thE sun.
in orDEr to sEt thE CAlEnDAr right, thE romAn sEnAtE, in 153BC, DEClArED jAnuAry 1 to BE thE BEginning oF thE nEw yEAr.But tAmpEring ContinuED until juliusCAEsAr, in 46BC, EstABlishED whAt hAs ComE to BE known As thE juliAnCAlEnDAr. it AgAin EstABlishED jAnuAry i As thE nEw yEAr.But in orDEr to synChronizE thE CAlEnDAr with thE sun,CAEsAr hAD to lEt thE prEvious yEAr DrAg on For 445 DAys.
thEChurCh’s viEw oF nEw yEArCElEBrAtion
Although in thE First CEnturiEsA、D、thE romAns ContinuED CElEBrAting thE nEw yEAr, thE EArlyCAtholiCChurCh ConDEmnED thE FEstivitiEs As pAgAnism.But AsChristiAnity BECAmE morE wiDEsprEAD, thE EArly ChurCh BEgAn hAving its own rEligious oBsErvAnCEs ConCurrEntly with mAny oF thE pAgAn CElEBrAtions, AnD nEw yEAr’sDAy wAs no DiFFErEnt. nEw yEAr is still oBsErvED As thE FEAst oFChrist’sCirCumCision By somE DEnominAtions.
During thE miDDlEAgEs, thEChurCh rEmAinED opposED to CElEBrAting nEw yEArs. jAnuAry 1 hAs BEEn CElEBrAtED As A holiDAy By wEstErn nAtions For only ABout thE pAst 400 yEArs.
nEw yEAr trADitions
othEr trADitions oF thE sEAson inCluDE thE mAking oF nEw yEAr’s rEsolutions. thAt trADition Also DAtEs BACk to thE EArlyBAByloniAns. populAr moDErn rEsolutions might inCluDE thE promisE to losE wEight or quit smoking. thE EArlyBAByloniAn’s most populAr rEsolution wAs to rEturn BorrowED FArm EquipmEnt.
thE tournAmEnt oF rosEs pArADE DAtEs BACk to 1886. in thAt yEAr, mEmBErs oF thE vAllEy huntCluB DECorAtED thEir CArriAgEs with FlowErs. it CElEBrAtED thE ripEning oF thE orAngE Crop inCAliForniA、
Although thE rosEBowl FootBAll gAmE wAs First plAyED As A pArt oF thE tournAmEnt oF rosEs in 1902, it wAs rEplACED By romAn ChAriot rACEs thE Following yEAr. in 1916, thE FootBAll gAmE rEturnED As thE sports CEntErpiECE oF thE FEstivAl.
thE trADition oF using A BABy to signiFy thE nEw yEAr wAs BEgun in grEECE ArounD 600B、C、it wAs thEir trADition At thAt timE to CElEBrAtE thEir goD oF winE,Dionysus, By pArADing A BABy in A BAskEt, rEprEsEnting thE AnnuAl rEBirth oF thAt goD As thE spirit oF FErtility.EArlyEgyptiAns Also usED A BABy As A symBol oF rEBirth.
Although thE EArlyChristiAns CritiCizED thE prACtiCE As pAgAn, thE populArity oF thE BABy As A symBol oF rEBirth ForCED thEChurCh to rEConsiDEr its position. thEChurCh FinAlly AllowED its mEmBErs to CElEBrAtE thE nEw yEAr with A BABy, whiCh wAs to symBolizE thE Birth oF thE BABy jEsus.
thE usE oF An imAgE oF A BABy with A nEw yEAr’s BAnnEr As A symBoliC rEprEsEntAtion oF thE nEw yEAr wAs Brought to EArlyAmEriCA By thE gErmAns. thEy hAD usED thE imAgE sinCE thE FourtEEnth CEntury.