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Newspaper
Polk Progress
Location
Polk, Nebraska, United States of America
Date
Dec 28, 1950
Page
3
A scholarly note compares January 1 as New Year with historical dates in England and other calendars. It explains March 25 as the old New Year, cites Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for Jewish tradition, and notes Islamic lunar months moving with the moon.
A survey of customs shows New Year practices span cultures from Chinese debt repayment on New Year Eve to English savings on January 1. Jewish shoppers seek prosperity with honeyed bread, while Armenian Persians bake early to host visitors as the new year begins.
Describe the French New Year customs on January 1. Gift giving, ringing doorbells for tips, and visits from tradespeople mark the day. Families visit graves, churches are crowded for the Vigil of St. Sylvester, and cattle are blessed at village churches for the new year.
Curiosity and superstition have long greeted the New Year with hope for the future. The dipping custom involves a family Bible opened to a chosen passage, while the first footer tradition assigns the first threshold crossing to dark haired men to preserve luck. Anglo Saxons climbed roofs to view events as the year begins and moderns make noise to ward off evil influences.
Scots stay awake on December 31 as youths echo ancient customs. Wassail bowls circulate among adults while teens roam in wagons or sleighs delivering hot drinks, food, and merriment through the night, refusing to sleep before the dawn.
New Year in Bulgaria describes children receiving presents and small sums of money on January 1st. Teenagers visit neighbors to wish a Happy New Year and expect treats. If goodies run short, the situation is accepted graciously, unlike Halloween.
The year 46 B C was 445 days long due to calendar reforms. Numa Pompilius created early methods, then Julius Caesar’s team inserted two months between November and December to align with the sun, delaying the Julian calendar adoption until the 16th century.
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