We stayed at home and had a party with our family. We chatted and laughed and had a delicious meal. The most important dish of the dinner was lentils symbolizing money and good fortune for the coming year. Like in many parts of Italy also it includes a cotechino, a large spiced sausage, or a zampone, stuffed pig's trotter. It's a delicious dish. The pork symbolizes the richness of life in the coming year. At midnight we celebrated the new year with spumante, Italian sparkling wine. Then we set off firecrackers and sparkles. We live in a small town so there were no fireworks displays but in big cities you have fantastic displays and also music and dancing. Rome, Milan, Bologna, Palermo and Naples put on big popular outdoor shows with pop and rock bands. These events can sometimes be seen on television, too. We watched a show broadcast from Rimini. After the midnight we played Tombola, similar to Bingo, and other card games. It is tradition to make resolutions and our resolution is: we are going to study harder! We promise.
There is another old custom that is still followed in some places, especially in the south, is throwing your old things out of the window to symbolize you are ready to accept the New Year. So, look out for falling objects if you're walking around at midnight!
Oh, one last thing, don't forget to wear your red underwear ! It'll bring you luck in the coming year.
Now let’s learn something about the history of New Year.
FLASHBACK: NEW YEAR HISTORY
The New Year is one of the oldest festivals of the world.
The first example of New Year is found in Mesopotamian culture. It was about 2000 BC, when the people of Babylon used to celebrate New Year on the day of the Spring Equinox that is in mid-March. They used to celebrate for 11 days and to make resolutions. It was the Romans, who recognized March 1 as New Year Day in their calendar. At that time there were only ten calendar months beginning from March and this fact can still be seen in the names of some months: in Latin, 'Septem' means, seven, 'Octo' means, eight, 'Novem' means, ninth and 'Decem' means ten.
In 153 BC the months of January and February were added by Numa Pontilius, the second Roman king. So the festival of New Year was in January for the first time, but people continued to observe New Year on March 1 a long time after that. The month of January was named to honor Janus, a Roman god with two faces - one looking back and the other looking forward, signifying the old and the new.
The first example of New Year is found in Mesopotamian culture. It was about 2000 BC, when the people of Babylon used to celebrate New Year on the day of the Spring Equinox that is in mid-March. They used to celebrate for 11 days and to make resolutions. It was the Romans, who recognized March 1 as New Year Day in their calendar. At that time there were only ten calendar months beginning from March and this fact can still be seen in the names of some months: in Latin, 'Septem' means, seven, 'Octo' means, eight, 'Novem' means, ninth and 'Decem' means ten.
In 153 BC the months of January and February were added by Numa Pontilius, the second Roman king. So the festival of New Year was in January for the first time, but people continued to observe New Year on March 1 a long time after that. The month of January was named to honor Janus, a Roman god with two faces - one looking back and the other looking forward, signifying the old and the new.
Julius Caesar was the first to set January 1st as the New Year. He introduced a new, solar-based calendar whereas the ancient Roman calendar was lunar-based.
In medieval Europe the celebrations for the New Year were considered pagan. In 567 the Roman Catholic church abolished January 1 as the beginning of the year. After that, at different times and in different places in medieval Europe, the New Year was celebrated on Dec. 25, the birth of Jesus; March 1or March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII re-established January 1 as New Year's Day with calendar reform. Today it is a religious feast and some churches celebrate the feast of the circumcision of Christ, 8 days after his birth, the occasion on which the child was given his name. The catholic church has also given the name of the Feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God to this day. But midnight remains the high spot of January 1.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII re-established January 1 as New Year's Day with calendar reform. Today it is a religious feast and some churches celebrate the feast of the circumcision of Christ, 8 days after his birth, the occasion on which the child was given his name. The catholic church has also given the name of the Feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God to this day. But midnight remains the high spot of January 1.
NEW YEAR IN OTHER CALENDARS
Not all cultures and religions celebrate New Year's Day on January 1st. The Islamic New Year begins on the first day of the first month of the Islamic calendar and is known as 1 Muharram. Rosh Hashanah New Year’s Day on the Jewish calendar, begins a 10 day period known as the High holy Days - a time of penitence and prayer that ends with Yom Kippur. The 15-day Chinese New Year is celebrated on the second new moon after the Winter Solstice, occurring between January 20-February 20 - culminating with the Lantern Festival.
ALILI WANTS TO ADD
Hi, my name's Alili. I'm from Albania and I'm a Muslim.
I want to tell you a bit more about New Year in Islam. The First of Muharram is sacred for all Muslims because it is the birth of Islam as a community of believers. It is the Day of Hegira. Hegira, from the Arabic “hijra”, means “leaving, breaking away” and it refers to the migration of the Prophet Mohammed from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution. Hijra is not only emigration but also a break with the past. The event was so important that people started to count years from the first day of that year, 622. Now we are in the year 1432. Muharram comes from the world “haram” that means “taboo” since it is forbidden to fight any kind of war on that day. The way we celebrate New Year's Day is a bit different from other such celebrations. The day is celebrated with prayers, greetings and telling stories about the Prophet. We reflect on our life, how we lead our life, on mortality. On the day before (New Year's Eve) an important assembly takes place in mosques to commemorate Hijra and reflect on its meaning.
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