A NEW YEAR IN THE UNIVERSE A TIME TO BEGIN AFRESH

In Sri Lanka, January 1st is regarded as the beginning of the New Year administratively and it is celebrated grandly especially in Colombo

We in Sri Lanka celebrate April 13th as our Sinhala and Hindu New Year day. We observe traditional and cultural rites on this day. However, officially we treat January 1st as the first day of the year as accepted internationally. January 1st – the New Year day is also a day of traditional, cultural and religious festivals and an occasion for celebration. This time it is the dawn of 2025, the year during which we in Sri Lanka hope to bring prosperity to the country and the people after years of suffering. January 1st, 2025 will not only be the beginning of a New Year but also the beginning of a renaissance.   

January 1st came to be fixed as the New Year day in 153 B.C. The date and the year were named and numbered after two Roman consuls. The date was chosen for military reasons. Throughout the Middle Ages, a variety of Christmas feast days were used while the calendar often continued to display the monthly columns running from January to December. In Roman fashion and in most countries in Western Europe, January 1st was officially accepted as the New Year day even before it was adopted in the Gregorian calendar.  

TIME TO BEGIN ANEW

Following god Janus, Romans followed the practice of looking back and resolved to rid themselves of their bad habits during the end of the year and to live fresh lives selecting good practices and habits as far as possible. Some of us follow this practice to this day. Some of those who had been addicted to intoxicants and smoking resolved to give up these bad habits. Most of us clean and whitewash our houses to make them happy homes during the New Year. We settle any outstanding loans before the dawn of the New Year. We try to make friends with those with whom we have fallen out during the end of the year. We forget all the differences and do not cherish envy during the New Year. We also visit as many friends and relatives as possible with presents to make them feel that we have not forgotten them. We also entertain all the visitors to our houses on or before the New Year day.   

NEW YEAR IN THE UNIVERSE

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, civil New Year falls on January 14th (January 1st in the Julian calendar) which has been adopted. Both the Gregorian and Julian New Year holidays are celebrated in most of the countries where the Eastern Orthodox predominates. As such, New Year is celebrated both as a civic holiday and a Julian holiday.  

JANUS WITH TWO FACES

Romans derived the name for the month of January from their god, Janus, who had two faces, one looking forward and the other looking backwards. The practice of making resolutions to rid oneself of bad habits during the year and to adopt better ones during the New Year also dates back to ancient times. This means that one should look back to realise the mistakes done during the past year and to look forward to selecting better habits to be adopted during the New Year.  

NEW YEAR TRADITIONS 

Tournament of Roses parade in California dates back to 1886. In this parade, a bowl of cut roses was carried. In that year, members of the valley decorated their carriages with flowers. It resembled the ripping of orange crops in that country. As part of the Rose Bowl, a New Year Football game was played in 1902. It was replaced by chariot races but the football game returned in 1916 as the sports centre piece of the festival.  

FIREWORKS DISPLAYS

In Brazil, the Eve of the New Year is celebrated on a grand scale in two cities, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The world’s biggest and most famous fireworks display is conducted in Rio de Janeiro. Nearly 2.5 Million people rush to Copacabana Beach to watch this fireworks display.  

NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS IN SRI LANKA

In Sri Lanka, January 1st is regarded as the beginning of the New Year administratively. Sinhala and Hindu New Year falls on the 13th or 14th of April depending on the transition of the Sun from Pisces to Aries. The New Year in Khmer, Thailand, Laos and Burma falls from 13th to 15th and often coincides with the Sinhala and Hindu New Year in Sri Lanka.  

HOW SRI LANKANS CELEBRATE THEIR ADMINISTRATIVE NEW YEAR 

We in Sri Lanka prepare milk rice (Kiribath) and oil cakes (Kavum) for the National New Year (Bakmaha Ulela). For the administrative New Year feast too we prepare Milk rice and oil cakes. New Year dawns with the sound of crackers from every corner with music, blessings and greetings. Many people mark the New Year with religious observances. Buddhists offer Dana (alms) and puja (offerings) to the monks and Hindus make offerings to the gods. Christians go to the churches for New Year prayers and Muslims attend religious rites in their mosques.  

CELEBRATIONS IN AUSTRALIA

In Australia, celebrations are held throughout the country. One of the world’s largest fireworks displays in Sydney draws nearly one million people. Australia is one of the countries which celebrates the New Year from its very earliest days.  

BONFIRE FROM BURNT CHRISTMAS TREES

In the Netherlands, Denmark and other European countries firework displays are held independently. In some countries discarded Christmas trees are burnt. The fire and light emanating from the burnt Christmas trees take the form of Bonfire.  

NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS IN JAPAN AND CHINA

In Japan, the believers of Shintoism worship ancestors, nature spirits and tutelary deities at Shinto shrines. The Chinese make offerings to ancestors and the gods of health and wealth. Buddhists in these countries perform religious rites at their homes.   

EVE OF THE NEW YEAR IN RUSSIA AND SOUTH KOREA

In Russia, the eve of the New Year is celebrated by fireworks and drinking Champagne. The president of Russia formally counts down the final hours of the old year. A giant clock tower chimes in the New Year and it is customary to wish one another with each chime. In South Korea, the most popular way of celebrating the New Year is to travel to Jeongdongjin, the place on the peninsula where the sun can first be seen each day. In Dados, Switzerland the final match of the Spengler cup, a Hockey tournament, is played as a tradition.  

TRADITIONS OF NEW YEAR FOODS –DOUGHNUT - ‘COMING FULL CIRCLE’

Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring good luck. They believe that foods in the shape of rings symbolise “Coming full circle” and that they are lucky if they are able to eat something in the shape of a ring or ball. Therefore they prepare small cakes in that shape with sweet dough and bake them into bread. They call them Doughnuts. In many parts of the United States, people eat black eyed peas with ham or pork, especially the flesh of the pig’s cheek. Legumes or edible seeds in plants are supposed to be lucky foods that should be taken in the eve of the New Year. The hog and its flesh are considered to symbolise prosperity. It is also believed that cabbage represents currency and that it is a sign of prosperity. Hence in these countries, folks add peas, pork and cabbage to their New Year meals.  

In Asian countries, special food items such as dumplings, Noodles and Rice cakes are eaten. Elaborate dishes feature ingredients whose names and appearances symbolise long life, happiness, wealth and good fortune. 

 
LUCKY PEOPLE AMONG NEW YEAR DAY VISITORS

Traditionally, it was believed that the first visitor in a house and the first meal in the New Year bring either luck or misery to the whole family during the New Year. Members of the family celebrate the first few minutes of the New Year in the company of friends, relatives and well-wishers. They feel happy if the first visitor to the house is a lucky person and they wish that to be the case. It is taken for granted that a tall person with black hair is lucky and such a person brings good fortune to the house. It has become common for folks to celebrate on the eve of the New Year in the grandest of fashions possible and the celebrations last till the New Year bells. They hope for lucky people to visit their homes at the dawn of the New Year.   

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

Another tradition is to make New Year resolutions. This is a tradition which goes back to early Babylonians whose most important resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. According to the thinking of the writer the most important New Year resolutions for Sri Lankans today should be to build harmony among different groups of people, to work for the Economic prosperity of the country, to stand against bribery and corruption and to assist the Government and the judiciary in the task of taking legal action against those who are responsible for bringing the country to economic bankruptcy. Some people resolve to give up smoking and drinking alcohol. However, most of such resolutions are short lived.  

‘AULD LANG SYNE’- GOOD OLD DAYS

In most English speaking countries the song “Auld Lang Syne” “Good Old Days” is sung to bring fortune in the New Year. This song was written by Robert Burns but was published after his death.  

Thus, we celebrate the New Year dawn happily with best wishes to friends, relatives, neighbours and well-wishers. We also make various New Year resolutions and we should strive to materialise them.