I thought it would be fun to research on how the celebration of a New Year came to be. I found it interesting on how far back this tradition actually goes. The first day of the new year dates back to the emperor Julius Caesar deciding to solve the problem of the ancient calendar. Caesar introduced the Julian calendar and institiuting January 1st as the first day of the year, honoring his namesake, Janus. This day was celebrated by exchanging gifts and decorating homes. This day was changed by the Christians to become more of a religious celebration of the birth of Jesus. It was then in 1582 that Pope Gregory XIII reestablished January 1 as New Year's Day!
The New Year is celebrated with many customs to bring good luck into the new year. In Spain and other Spanish speaking countries, people gobble down grapes - symbolizing their hopes for the months ahead. In other parts of the world, dishes with legumes are enjoyed, these legumes resemble coins and are thought to bring financial success. In Italy it is lentils and it is black eyed peas in the southern states of the USA that bring good luck for New Year. From pigs, ring shaped cakes and rice pudding are all believed to bring good fortune in the year to come!
There is also the custom of making New Year's Resolutions. Many will resolve to loose weight, to join a gym, to eat eat less carbs, to give up sugar and the list goes on and on. My family and I used to do this every year. We would sit down all together and write our resolutions on notecards and then tape them to the bathroom mirror. You would see them every single day! This was both a good thing and a bad thing! Because like many of us, we are 9 days into the New Year and whatever resolution we made on day 1, could very likely have flown out the window already! Just know we still have 356 more days to figure it out! LOL!
I think I have been around long enough to now view Happy New Year Resolutions more as Goals! I believe January 1st is a great day to reset and reboot the upcoming year. This year I am going to review and reset on the 1st of each month! I will be able to really see what worked and what didn't and then reset the following month! If it's wanting my clothes to fit better, eat more vegtables and fruits, read more books, travel more, save more and be a good human being, these are all goals I can achieve! I may not get it right each and every month, I do believe each month will be open to all of the possibilities!
All of Us at Suzy's Swirl wish all of You a Happy New Year! May 2022 be full of Better Health,
More Happiness and Continued Kindness and Understanding for all!