The earliest celebrations of the turning of the year were in Babylon approximately 4000 yrs ago. The celebration of the New Year was an eleven day event in the spring featuring a different tradition each day, and celebrated about the modern March 23. They choose the spring as it was the time of planting new crops and that spring and the New Year symbolized new growth and a time to look forward to the future. The Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Persians began their new year with the fall equinox, and the Greeks celebrated it on the winter solstice.
The Celts of Europe followed a lunar calendar and held their new year on the first full moon after the fall equinox. The Celtic year began with An Geamhradh ("an gyow-ragh"), the dark Celtic winter, and ended with Am Foghar ("am fu-ghar"), the Celtic harvest. The Celts believed that at this time the veil between the worlds of the living and the otherworld grew thin allowing for the spirits of their ancestors to visit places they lived and their descendants. This End of Summer celebration was known as Samhain (Sow-en), our modern Halloween, and was a holy time. Villagers would gather the autumn’s bounty and slaughter the best cattle for a feast. A great bonfire would be lit and all of the hearth fires of the village extinguished. Each family would relight their hearth fire from the common flame in a ritual of uniting the tribe together. They would provide for the hospitality of their departed ancestors by setting out food and drink for them. Doors, windows and gates were left unlocked and open to give the dead free passage to their homes. However they did not believe that all spirits were friendly. Frightfully carved masks, the predecessor of our Jack-O-Lanterns, were left by the door to ward against evil spirits. Other customs that are retained today are the playing of tricks and dressing in costumes.
The Romans originally celebrated their New Year on their March 1, but since their calendar consisted of ten months and they changed calendar many times, including adding two more months, January and February, it is hard to say when they actually celebrated the New Year in relation to our modern calendar. We can assume that they celebrated in the spring. The Romans on several occasions changed the observance of the New Year to January 1, that is after they added January, to coincide with their civic year, when their consuls were elected for a term of one year.
Of the observances of the cultures of the Americas little is known, and we do not know when or how these people counted the years.
Of the cultures of Africa little is to be found. From Nigeria and Ghana area the New Yam Festival is celebrated in early August at the end of the rainy season. Yams, one of the most common foods in many parts of Africa, are the first crop to be harvested. Villagers offer yams to the gods and their ancestors as a way of giving thanks, before distributing the harvest amongst the families. On the last night before the festival, those who still had them, as the New Year must begin with tasty, fresh yams and not the shriveled and fibrous crop of the previous year, disposed of all yams of the old year.
Another African New Year tradition comes from the Guen people who settled in Glidjiin in 1663, which is on the border of Benin in Togo. When the Guen people came down the Nile from Egypt, they brought with them their voodoo beliefs and practices. Every year, coinciding with the time of their arrival in their new home, also in the summer around September, they celebrate Epe Ekpe, their new year. Epe means year and Ekpe means close or stone, the latter relating to it also being the day of the sacred stone. The ritual involves the voodoo priest and his initiatives going into the sacred forest to find the sacred stone. The color of the stone will tell them what the year will manifest. If it is blue then there will be lots of rain. If it is red then many ceremonies will have to take place to try and prevent the danger. The stone found in the year 2006 was a white stone with green spots. It’s meaning is thought that while there is potential for peace and prosperity they must look after nature and beware of it [especially the lakes and seas] for peace to manifest.
The Muslims of Islam mark their new year on the first day of the month Muharram of their calendar. The Muslim calendar is based on the moon and does not correspond to the western Gregorian or international calendars. This year Muharram 1 falls on January 20, and will fall eleven days earlier each subsequent year. Islam now encompasses so many geographic areas and cultures that I will not try to describe their traditions and observances, however I will offer this link to a report of traditions in Iran. Sofiaecho.com
The Chinese New Year is another spring festival and is set by the second new moon after winter solstice. Usually falling between mid-January and mid-February, the New Year for 2007 falls on February 18and is the Year of the Pig. The Chinese New Year's celebration lasts for fifteen days with different days having different meanings and traditions. At midnight of New Years Eve, celebrants ring in the new year with fireworks, intended to drive away evil spirits, lights are to be kept on throughout the night, and doors and widows should be opened to let the old year out and the new year in. The first day of the New Year is "the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth." Meat is to be abstained from, as it is believed that this will ensure long and happy lives for them. The second day is a day of prayer and observance of their ancestors and all gods. It is also observed as the birthday of all dogs with the traditions of being extra kind to their dogs and feeding them well. The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law. The fifth day, Po Woo, heralds the arrival of the God of Wealth. Everyone stays home to welcome him and no one visits families and friends because it will bring both parties bad luck. The sixth through the tenth days are days for visiting family and friends, also for visiting temples to pray for good fortune and health. The seventh day is considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success. It is also a day for farmers to display their produce. The eighth day is a day for family reunion. The Ninth is a day to make offering to the Jade Empower. The tenth through the twelfth days are days to invite family and friends to dinners. The thirteenth day is one of contemplation and fasting, only simple foods such as rice congee should be eaten. The fourteenth day is spent in preparation of the final day. The fifthteeth day is the day of the Lantern Festival where paper lanterns, whether simple or ornate animal shapes, are carried in processions to celebrate the New Year.
As can be seen The new Year is observed at different times in different ways around the world. Europe and the Americas have been no different. Even with the Gregorian calendar’s establishment or New Year's in 1582, many people, especially protestant Christians did not immediately adopt it. The British, for example, did not adopt the reformed calendar until 1752. Until then, the British Empire and the American colonies still celebrated the New Year in March.
Still, the New Year is upon us. December 31 and January 1 are the days I will be celebrating it this year. No matter whether you spend it quietly with family and friends or rambunctious and joyously amongst the throngs, the New Year is here and it is time to begin again. Me, personally, I think I will find a joyous throng, drink heartily to the New Year and look for that traditional kiss from a buxom wench at midnight. Then I will spend New Year's Day in quiet contemplation, or nursing a hangover, whichever.
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