“All of these things reflect the importance of the New Year, which is a new beginning in every way. Clearing up unfinished business of whatever kind is still a good notion, and blowing away the cobwebs from the old year that has passed is no bad thing, either.” John Matthews in his book, “The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions Of Christmas.” It was published in 1998 by Quest Books.
Matthews also writes this about New Year’s Eve: “This night was the night when everything that could be was tidied up, cleaned, washed or polished. As F. Marian McNeill points out in her wonderful collection of folk-customs, The Silver Bough: ‘The house received a mini spring-cleaning. Slops and ashes, which are usually removed in the morning, are carried out. Debts must be paid, borrowed articles returned, stockings darned, tears mended, clocks wound up, musical instruments tuned, pictures hung straight; brass and silver must be glittering; fresh linen must be put on the beds. … brooms and pails, soap, polishing rags and darning-needles emerge from neglected cupboards and drawers, and the bairns receive a thorough scrubbing in honor of the New Year.‘”
A traditional greeting at your door when first opened to a visitor in the New Year was, “Welcome to the light of the New Year / And welcome he/she who brings it here!”
Just the other day my son and I were out to buy a new catcher for his position as goalie in rep hockey. We passed by a neighbor’s house with repairmen on the roof. They were laying down new shingles. I commented to my son that the homeowner had probably found a leak over the holidays. That’s the only reason that would require you to be making repairs in winter. That kind of work is usually done during the warmer months. It reminded me of this quaint superstition: “Make a start on your year’s work between Christmas and January 5th–a bit of ditching, a little plowing–to ’show your intentions.’ But never fix your roof between Christmas and New Year’s or the holes will come right back.” That’s a superstition from the Reader’s Digest edition, “The Best Literature Of Christmas.”
How do you plan to spend New Year’s Eve? Will it be a large gathering, or just a quiet evening with a few special friends? Do you plan to spend it with your immediate family, or alone? Whatever your plans, I hope you will join us on CHFI for our special New Year’s Eve Party hosted by Michelle Butterly. I can’t think of better company for whatever you have planned. It would be so romantic to usher in the New Year in a grand ballroom, but a portable radio in the kitchen is just as romantic, as long as the person you’re sharing it with is the only person you want to welcome in 2008 with.
I will be on the show sometime between 11 and midnight tonight with my special wish for a healthy and bountiful New Year. I hope you will tune in and count down the minutes to midnight with us! I’d also like to invite you to read my other posting that went into my blog earlier tonight. It’s called “New Year’s Eve R.I.D.E.” It features a very scary personal experience caused by a drunk driver.
Thomas Mann wrote: “Time has no divisions to mark its passage; there is never a thunderstorm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells…”
Have you ever wondered why we make so much noise to accompany the beginning of the New Year? This is an excerpt from the Reader’s Digest edition “Why In The World: All You Ever Wanted To Know About The World Around You But May Never Have Thought To Ask!” “It’s a custom that has spread from Europe to many parts of the world. The clock ticks away the seconds of the dying year and suddenly, on the last stroke of midnight, the waiting crowds let out a cacophony of sound. Voices shout, bells ring, car horns and factory hooters blast away, all in a concerted bid to make as much noise as possible.
“‘Ring out the old, ring in the new’ is a comparatively recent explanation of a superstition that has figured in New Year celebrations since pagan times. For centuries, in the Scottish Highlands, villagers carrying sticks and dried cowhides surrounded one another’s houses each New Year’s Eve. As midnight came, they thrashed the walls with clubs and beat their sticks against the cowhides, chanting and shouting as loudly as they could. It was a rite designed to drive out the fairies, demons and spirits of the old year.
“The same ritual–a superstitious clearing of the air to give the New Year a fair chance to bring good fortune–has been handed on, though possibly few revellers today understand why they are called upon to make such a racket at midnight.”
“The Southern Christmas Book” by Harnett T. Kane, published in 1958, stated: “On New Year’s Eve, a few minutes before midnight, throw open every door and window, no matter what the weather–rain, snow, sleet, or wind. The good results will justify any exposure short of fatal pneumonia.”
“New Year’s Eve celebrations are filled with custom and superstition. The large parties, ringing of bells, kissing at midnight, all have roots stretching back to a time before history was recorded. One of the most enduring superstitions is that what you do on New Year’s Eve you will be doing for the rest of the year. Perhaps that is why so many of us hope to spend this night with those for whom we have special feelings. Whether we plan a quiet evening with a friend, a warm family gathering, or a huge party with all our acquaintances gathered around us, there is still the acknowledgement of time passing, a recollection of achievement of the past year, and the hopeful feeling that in the coming year we can make at least a few of our resolutions a reality. To honor that moment and those relationships that we hold dear, we kiss our loved ones at midnight and raise a toast, to our past and our future.” An excerpt from the 1984 “Avon Calendar Of Roses.” It was published by The Ariel Press Ltd.
Again, in the Reader’s Digest edition, “Why In The World…” was this: ”Ancient beliefs assert that what happens in the first few moments of the year decides everything for the next twelve months. That is why, in a superstition that probably started with the Scots, whoever is first to cross a threshold on New Year’s Day is believed to bring the household much or little luck. The reasons why the ideal first-footer should be tall and dark are lost in time. … In years gone by, some superstitious families considered a good first-footer to be so essential that they hired one to enter the house as the New Year arrived, rather than risk many months of misfortune.
“Usually, the first-footers carry a lump of coal, a gift to ensure that the home will always be warm and friendly. At one time, they also gave the head of the family a coin and a piece of bread, symbolizing wealth and ample food. For good luck in the year ahead, something must come into a house before anything is taken out.
“First-footing is one of many traditions linked with those opening moments of the year. Another, still observed in some parts of Europe and America, is to open a Bible at random and, without looking, point to a spot on the page. The passage is believed to indicate in some way what the year holds in store. Some families invite the first-footer to perform the custom, then reward him with the last drink from a bottle, another New Year good-luck custom–and a generous one if it’s the only bottle in the house.” Something to consider before you open the door to greet any latecomers after midnight, or when you open the door first thing on New Year’s Day.
“Ring in the nobler modes of life, / With sweeter manners, purer laws. / The larger heart, the kindlier hand.” A quote from Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Robert Lynd concludes with the one superstition we always observe as the New Year lies on the horizon: “On the approach of a New Year, we, too, can believe in something better than experience has justified us in hoping for.”
I wish you a happy, healthy, prosperous, safe and peaceful New Year!!
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Don Jackson
