Found some meaning for the "New Year" on the internet and since we just
celebrated New Years 2009 ... thought I'd share
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"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's Day <http://wilstar.com/holidays/newyear.htm#>
in modern America was not always January 1.

ANCIENT NEW YEARS
The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all holidays
<http://wilstar.com/holidays/newyear.htm#>. It was first observed in
ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, the
Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon (actually the first
visible cresent) after the Vernal Equinox
<http://wilstar.com/holidays/newyear.htm#> (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 nor
agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary.

The Babylonian 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's Eve <http://wilstar.com/holidays/newyear.htm#>
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 153 BC,
declared January 1 to be the beginning of the new year. But tampering
continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be
known as the Julian Calendar. It again established January 1 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.

In the first centuries AD the Romans continued celebrating the new year;
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 early Babylonians.
Popular modern resolutions might include the promise to lose weight or
quit smoking. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to
return borrowed farm equipment.

The Tournament of Roses <http://wilstar.com/holidays/newyear.htm#>
Parade dates back to 1886. In that year, members of the Valley Hunt Club
decorated their carriages with flowers
<http://wilstar.com/holidays/newyear.htm#>. It celebrated the ripening
of the orange crop in California.

Although the Rose Bowl 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 600 BC. 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.
Early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth.

The use of an image of a baby with a New Years banner as a symbolic
representation of the new year was brought to early America by the
Germans. They had used the effigy since the fourteenth century.

FOR LUCK IN THE NEW YEAR
Traditionally, it was thought that one could affect the luck they would
have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day
of the year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to
celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of
family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night
after the ringing in of a new year. It was once believed that the first
visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the
rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to
be a tall dark-haired man.

Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures
believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it
symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that
reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will
bring good fortune.

Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed
peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or
ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in
many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because
it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that
is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also
considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency.
In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.

AULD LANG SYNE
The song, "Auld Lang Syne," is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost
every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year. At
least partially written by Robert Burns in the 1700's, it was first
published in 1796 after Burns' death. Early variations of the song were
sung prior to 1700 and inspired Burns to produce the modern rendition.
An old Scotch tune, "Auld Lang Syne" literally means "old long ago," or
simply, "the good old days.



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