This text is part of the special Le Petit D
Happy New Year, big nose! You likewise, great teeth! Bye-bye 2021, it’s time to welcome 2022! But what exactly are we celebrating?
Why the new year now?
We have not always underlined the transition to the New Year on the night of December 31 to 1er January. 4000 years ago, the Babylonians celebrated the New Year… in March! We then celebrated for a dozen days the arrival of spring, during the feast of Akitu.
It was not until Roman times that Julius Caesar adopted the Julian calendar, which is based on the Sun rather than the Moon. He decides that the new year will begin on the 1er January. But the Christian Church does not appreciate non-religious holidays too much, and during the Middle Ages people secretly celebrated the New Year… a little when they wanted.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII imposed the calendar we know today and finally sets the new year at 1er January. Since then, most Western countries have celebrated the passing of the New Year on December 31, even if England resisted… until 1752!
What are we celebrating?
A sign of renewal, the transition to the New Year has always been underlined in one way or another. Even the Vikings celebrated the return of the longer days. The new year is an opportunity to take stock and set goals for the following year.
The day before, we often light fires or fireworks. The flame made the sun come back, and the smoke and noise were said to drive away evil spirits and demons.
New Year’s Eve traditions
• Get together with family or friends
• Count the last seconds before midnight
• Make New Year’s resolutions
• Drink champagne
In Quebec, we used to give gifts on New Year’s Day, not Christmas! This is still the case in several European countries, where New Years Eve is called “New Year’s Eve”.
Quebecers gather around the television to watch the traditional Bye Bye ! The Americans are watching the ” ball drop In Times Square, New York. Under the stroke of midnight, a large crystal ball descends a pole placed at the top of a building and lights up. The tradition has existed since 1907; it is said that this is because the New York firefighters had banned the fireworks when they saw the hot ashes falling on the crowds, which caused the risk of fire.
In Naples, Italy, one of the oldest customs on December 31 is to throw old objects, clothing or furniture out of windows. Watch out for your heads!
Celebrate for 24 hours
Because of the jet lag, the planet is not celebrating the New Year at the same time. The first to open champagne are the inhabitants of Kiribati, a small archipelago in the Pacific. Auckland, New Zealand, is the first major city to witness the New Year, and Sydney the second. And the last ones? American Samoa, in the South Pacific.
By taking the plane, we cross several time zones and, technically, we “smash” the New Year every time! We could also “go back in time” and drive east, from Poland, to Lithuania and finally to Belarus to feast three times! What about the International Space Station? As the sun rises and sets 16 times a day, they can wish each other a happy new year as many times!
Eat to celebrate
• The Greeks eat from midnight on December 31 on vasilopita, a sweet cake, with inside a coin (very clean) which brings luck to whoever finds it.
• In Spain, we get together with friends and family to swallow 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight.
• Fish, Chinese dumpling, and sticky rice cake are three Chinese New Year lucky foods.
New Years elsewhere
Not everyone changes years at the same time. In the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah, which means “beginning of calendar years” is celebrated in the fall. The day before, we fast and pray before celebrating for two days. The Muharram is the first day of the Muslim calendar, but we do not wake up in the same way: the transition to the new year takes place in prayer and reflection.
Chinese New Year celebrations last for several weeks! Chinese New Year will begin on the 1er February this year. On New Year’s Eve, we get together as a family around a meal.