A fresh start
Don Coldsmith
Originally published 02:12 p.m., December 31, 2007
Updated 02:12 p.m., December 31, 2007
Once in a while it gives a good feeling, maybe even a necessary one, to just sit back and think of making a fresh start. Our lives become so complicated that we need a moment to catch our breath and to begin over. We’ll try to avoid all the mistakes we’ve made in times just past. We need another chance, a clean slate or something similar (Wow! I wouldn’t want to do THAT again!)
Human history, in all cultures, is filled with evidence of this. The major problem is in finding a reliable marker to indicate WHEN this should happen. It has been linked to the sun, the moon and to many of the movements of an assortment of other celestial bodies.
Different cultures have chosen markers to fit their own situation. In ancient Egypt, for instance, the new year began with the annual flooding of the Nile in mid-June. Early Roman celebrations were linked to the Roman god Janus, who was depicted with eyes in both sides of his head, looking both backward and forward, the “god of Beginnings and Endings.”
Through history, Chinese, Egyptian, Jewish, Roman, Mohammedan, have all selected different times as the new beginning.
In all cultures since Creation, however, the New Year has been marked by elaborate ceremonies and celebrations. These, in one form or another, express prayers of thanks for survival and good fortune or a plea that these same gifts may be granted.
But what about the DATE of the observance? Through the ages, many different dates have been used. Christianity originally, in 487 A.D., was designated to coincide with the “Feast of the Circumcision.”
Even within Christianity, the celebration at one time or another has occurred at the time of Christmas, Easter, March 1 and March 25, the date of the “Feast of the Annunciation.”
In the 1500s, the Gregorian calendar was introduced, replacing the old Julian calendar, which was named for Julius Caesar and which began the year on Jan. 14.
The Jewish new year is a feast day, in late September, also related to religious history.
Chinese civilization used a lunar calendar, based on the moon’s cycle, for 4,000 years. They now use the Gregorian calendar. This is our calendar, corrected in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. It had served for centuries, but gradually became inaccurate. It was a few days off with the passing of time.
To further confuse the situation, Iran observes March 21 as the coming of the new year, as the earth’s northern hemisphere awakens to welcome the new growth of spring. A new start, just what we often need. South of the equator, of course, it’s already summer, heading into autumn.
The Hindu’s religion may affect his new Year. For reasons quite mysterious to me, each Hindu sect, (of which there are many, I understand) has its own New Year’s celebration. Even Christians seem to do better than that.
The good news is, maybe, that we can see from all this that it’s not only Christians who can’t agree about everything. At least we don’t argue about such things as when the year begins. Well, not much anyway.
Most of the world of business now uses the Gregorian calendar, I understand.
That’s good, I guess. We have enough other things to argue about, without needing any more. But the coming of the year end lets us look back and it’s a chance to try to erase some of the mistakes we’ve made.
We can simply leave behind all the things we’ve done this past year that were, after all, pretty dumb. Hopefully, there weren’t many, but regardless, it feels good to be able to set last year’s events aside, turn a page and begin another clean white notebook.
Maybe, even, we can make some sense out of all the nonsense that is taking place in a changing world.
And Pope Gregory thought HE had a problem!
See you down the road.
Author and columnist Don Coldsmith lives in Emporia.