New Year Festivities Take Different Forms

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28162, 28 December 1956, Page 5

New Year Festivities Take Different Forms

New Year is probably the only festival which is universally celebrated, but its celebration takes many different forms, and it is marked at many different times. It has been celebrated at least since the time of the early Persians as a symbol of the idea of the renewal of time from the beginning. In New Zealand, the only widely-observed form of New Year celebration is the Scottish Hogmanay. The main feature of Hogmanay is “first-footing.” If a dark person is the first to cross the threshold, the house and its occupants will be favoured with good luck for the rest of the year. In Scotland. Hogmanay is more important as a time for festivities than Christmas. There is a similar custom in Sweden, where the first visitor to a home should be a man if good fortune is to follow. September 1 was New Year’s Day in Russia until 1699. when Peter the Great decided that the year should begin on January

1. “With the New Year, new happiness.” is the traditional Russian New Year greeting. The yule log is a survival of the old Slav custom of lighting a new fire at the beginning of the year. The custom of giving presents at New Year is not important in New Zealand, but it is an essential part of the celebrations in many countries. New Year gifts represent not so much a relic of popular customs as the popular adoption of an aristocratic tradition. Queen Elizabeth I relied on New Year gifts to augment her income and for the upkeep of her wardrobe. She received money from archbishops and bishops, and noblemen gave her dresses, cloaks, and furs. In India, where there are as many calendars as there are religions, New Year is celebrated at many different times. The people of Bali observe the festival more frequently than other nations, as the Balinese year comprises only 210 days. The Balinese celebrate over a 10-day period, which comes to a climax with the placing of offerings of food to the gods. After the food has been displayed outside the temples for a few days, it is eaten by the people. Other Calendars Although the western world will celebrate the arrival of 1957, it is not the same year everywhere. In Egypt, it is 1376 for the Moslems and 1673 for the Copts. The Jewish New Year, Rosh Ha’Shanah, which falls on September 26, is primarily a religious festival, and is celebrated in a serious spirit. The present year, by the Jewish calendar, is 5717. In Japan, it is now the 31st year of Showa. Showa is the name by which Emperor Hirohito will be known aftei' his death. The Japanese celebrate by donning new clothes and decorating gateposts with pines and bamboo. Doors are decorated with red Lobsters, crabs, and f)*uit, which symbolises long life and happiness. In New Zealand, there is no traditional manner of celebrating the Year, but a tradition 1 seems to be evolving.