MEERA S. SASHITAL gives us a glimpse into the legends and different New Year celebrations across the world.
Days speed by and in a twinkle the New Year arrives before us. This is the time when we bid goodbye to the old year and usher the New Year. To welcome the New Year people rejoice and celebrate from the previous day of the New Year, that is the New Year’s Eve lasting till the next day which is the New Year Day.
Almost all over the world people stay up late at night till twelve to see the old year walking out and the New Year stepping in. To mark the entering of the New Year Church bells ring, sirens are heard, all the vehicles, locomotives and steam-ships blow their horns and whistle simultaneously sharply at twelve o’clock at night. In cities people throng on the roads to wait for the great hour. In London the Trafalgar Square is swarmed with happy crowds and so is the Times Square Express in New York City full of multitudes waiting with excitement for the zero hour. In our cities too, decorations and illuminations are done to add to the gaiety of the occasion. In some places dummies of old men crafted from cloth are displayed on the roads to represent the outgoing old Year. Needless to say that parties are held to celebrate the coming of the New Year.
The New Year of the Gregorian calendar mostly which is in use today falls on 1st January (New Year’s Day) as it was in the Roman calendar. Different countries observe New Year according to their timings. The Chinese New Year, which is also known as the Lunar New Year, happens every year on the new moon of the first lunar month, which is also the beginning of Spring (Lichun). The Korean New Year that is called as Seollal or Lunar New Year’s Day is the first day of the lunar calendar and is more important for the Koreans, even though January 1st is the first day of the year.
Nava Varsha (New Year) is celebrated in India in various regions in March-April. The Iranian New Year called Nowroz is celebrated by great fanfare by the Parsi community in India and by Zoroastrians and Persians across the world. Again, Ugadi is the Telegu and Kannada New Year’s Day which is observed in the months of March or April. This day is celebrated in entire Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka as Ugadi (in Sanskrit, Yuga means era or epoch or year) and ‘adi’ (means the beginning or the primordial, start of the new year). The first month is the Chaitra Masa (Masa means month). Gudi Padwa is celebrated as the first of the Hindu year by the people of Maharashtra (India) and as Sanskar Padwa in Goa. This day falls in March or April and co-incides with Ugadi. Chaiti Chand, the Sindhi festival, their first day of the Hindu New Year is celebrated on the same day as Ugadi and Gudi Padwa. Bengali New Year (Poila Boishak or Bangla Noboborsho) is celebrated on the first of Boishak (14-15 April) in Bangladesh and West Bengal.
Interestingly, the Water Festival is celebrated as New Year in South East countries on the full moon day in the 11th month in the lunisolar calendar every year. According to tradition, as a part of the celebration, people sprinkle water gently on one another as a sign of respect.
As regards New Year resolutions, it has been a tradition most common in the Western Hemisphere but also found in the East where a person makes a promise to do any good act to others or of self-improvement from the commencement of New Year’s Day. It can be from a simple opening of the door for others to donating food, education and help to poor or disabled people. One can make resolution to improve one’s health by eating proper nutritious food, more exercise, avoid alcohol, stop smoking, getting rid of bad habits like biting nails, getting up late etc.
One must have an ambition in life, a motive, and to reach that target or pinnacle one should develop will power, patience, coolness, faith and perseverance and above all faith in God and one own self. Determine to read good books which help to develop your personality and improve oneself, for example Norman Vincent Peale, Dale Carnegie, Samuel Smiles, Bhagvad Gita. Bible which can give right thinking and guidance. Sticking to Moderation in life can be a good resolution. One should enjoy life but also be spiritual minded. Love one’s Family and others too. We can make a long list of resolutions on the New Year Day only if we resolve to follow them for some time at least.
I feel resolutions should be made and acted daily. In our daily life we get ample opportunities to be a philanthropist. One can help a blind person cross the road or read out to a blind student, give free tuitions to students or share your talents (free) like Music, Dance etc. Again one can make it a point to help elderly people and disabled people. A philanthropist need not belong to a rich or even middle class. He can be a poor Autoricksha driver who helps an old lady to get off the rick and escort her to buy something. In a Cake shop, Rahul of the shop comes out running to the old lady in the Auto to give the cake as he knows her difficulty to walk. There are people who are extremely kind and large hearted too for whom we should be grateful. One of the resolutions should be, to be grateful toward people who have been kind and helpful to us.
There are always ups and downs in a year. We only hope and pray that the coming 2016 year will be full of happiness and Cheer to ALL. In the words of Edith Lovejoy Pierce: “Cheers to a New Year and another Chance to get it right.”
