The New Year

You can get excited about the future. The past won’t mind- Hillary DePiano

With Christmas behind me, I still can’t help wondering how it will be like inside the gates of the University in a green forest. Again, like Christmas, I have a benchmark: The New Year in Kenya/Africa. Will it be the same? Will I experience something new?

I dig into history to learn more about this universal event/celebration that civilizations around the globe have celebrated for at least four millennia. The Gregorian calendar or New Style calendar is in use today and dictates when the New Year should be observed. Pope Gregory XIII proclaimed this solar dating system in 1582 as a reform of the Julian calendar. Thus, the festivities begin on New Year's Eve (December 31), the last day of the Gregorian calendar, and the celebrations continue into January 1, the New Year’s Day itself.

Before the Gregorian calendar came to be, the Roman calendar, created by Rome’s founder, Romulus, was in use. This calendar consisted of 10 months (304 days). Later, King Pompilius added two months, Januarius and Februarius, to the Roman calendar. However, around 46 BC, this calendar failed to be in sync with the sun, forcing emperor Julius Caesar to introduce the Julian calendar, following close consultations with mathematicians and astronomers. To honor the two-faced Roman god of beginnings (Janus), Caesar named January 1 as the first day of the year. Apparently, Janus could look back into the past and forward into the future, hence the New Year.

Africa is not left behind in the business of calendars. We have Enkutatash, a public holiday in Ethiopia celebrated on 11th/12th September. Enkutatash means the 'gift of jewels' and refers to the Queen of Sheba's return after visiting King Solomon in Jerusalem in 980 BC. The Ethiopian New Year is derived from the Ethiopian solar-based calendar borrowed from the Egyptian and Julian calendars. The calendar was brought by missionaries and comprises 12 months, each with 30 days. It also has a thirteenth month of 5-6 days.

Ancient cultures deliberately celebrated this special day. For instance, about 4,000 years ago, the Babylonians observed Akitu (a massive religious festival). In Rome, they offered sacrifices to Janus, exchanged gifts amongst themselves, attended raucous parties, and decorated their homes with laurel branches.

Today, various cultures worldwide celebrate New Year's Day in their own unique way. For example, the Spanish eat 12 grapes each at midnight (on New Year’s Eve) to symbolize hope for the coming year, while the Italians consume lentils (thought to resemble coins) on New Year's Day to symbolize wealth or good fortune. The black-eyed pea is consumed in the southern part of the US for the same reason as lentils in Italy. Countries like Hungary, Austria, Portugal, and Cuba include pork in their New Year’s meal because it symbolizes progress and prosperity. In Mexico, Greece, and the Netherlands, ring-shaped cakes and pastries are eaten to mean that a year has come full circle. The week-long holiday in Ethiopia is a family event that begins on New Year's Eve. Each household lights a wooden torch to symbolize a new season of sunshine following the end of the rainy season.

Generally, people attend parties, watch fireworks display, make New Year resolutions, and eat special foods. Other practices to herald the New Year include singing songs, such as the popular ‘Auld Lang Syne’ (old long since, meaning ‘days gone by’) in several English-speaking nations. In New York, the New Year is ushered in when a giant ball is dropped at Times Square at the exact second the new year commences.

Here I am in Asia. From my readings, I understand that different countries celebrate it differently. For instance, the Chinese celebrate their New Year (late January to mid-February) following their own calendar (the soli-lunar calendar where excess lunar months are added to keep the solar and lunar years synchronized). Other countries that celebrate the Chinese New Year include Vietnam and Korea. The Jewish calendar also follows this pattern. So, on New Year’s Day, the Chinese celebrate it by eating long-life foods.

Others in Asia who celebrate the New Year include the Indonesians who observe a day of silence, while the Japanese scatter dried beans to send evil away from their homes. Besides performing the bean ritual, the Japanese also ring bells from Buddhist temples 108 times, an event that is broadcast live. People from Thailand celebrate their day (Songkran- the Thai New Year-on April 13/14/15) by splashing water on one another. Songkran is also celebrated in Laos and other South-East Asian countries.

I am informed that in Kuala Lumpur (KL), the Malay gather at the iconic Twin Towers (KLCC Park) for the countdown, a spectacular display of fireworks, and live performances from both local and international stars. There are also street fairs (e.g. The Curve Shopping Mall in Petaling, Jaya, where dazzling fireworks are displayed), parties on roof-top bars, and people just celebrating with gusto and delight. There are countless other places to welcome the New Year in KL. They include the vibrant Changkat Bukit Bintang; Sunway Lagoon’s Surf Beach, the trendy nightlife spot TREC KL; Desa Park City (for those seeking a quiet place); the giant Merdeka Square with perfectly manicured lawns, marching bands, traditional dances, live vocals,etc.

Well, let me get ready to witness some of these spectacular things I am reading about. At the stroke of midnight, all is quiet. As silent as the grave. Could my ears be playing tricks on me? So, is this how we usher in the year in our serene forest? Chuckle. I won’t be surprised if I find myself reading in one of the smart rooms on January 1.

I can only reminisce about the exciting times as children when we would run around the neighborhood alongside adults hitting tins and metal surfaces and screaming, 'Happy New Year!' I recall when former President Daniel Arap Moi would make a speech, and we would all be glued to our sets, waiting for the fireworks, shouts, and State dance.

Such a time of it we had!

Happy New Year, Folk!