While I'm not one to make resolutions at the dawn of a new year, in 2017 I will pledge to shower you with more of my extemporaneous musings and doggerel. Rereading that sentence, I am not sure if it is a resolution or a threat.
Speaking of resolutions, the practice of making them at the beginning of a new year dates back to ancient Mesopotamia. At the dawn of another year (March in the Babylonian calendar), people would renew their oath of allegiance to the emperor and resolve to serve the empire better.
Another of my favorite traditions is greeting the new year with
fireworks. This also hearkens back to ancient times. Early Americans embraced the idea of explosions on December 31. My favorite story comes from the late-1800's in Colorado. Miners in Denver on New Year's Eve did not have fireworks, but did have quite a large amount of dynamite. Why not! The ensuing explosions caused several large craters on the main street and some damage to nearby buildings. I'm sure it was worth it...pyrotechnics are so much fun!
The obligatory kiss at midnight comes from the gaelic/Scottish ritual of saining. As the new year approached houses and livestock were sprinkled with water as a form of consecration. Through the years, this transformed into a kiss between family and friends.
Another Scot Hogmanay tradition involves opening all the windows in the house to dissipate the bad "airs" of the old year. The woman of the house would walk around with a bottle of whiskey to help fight the chill of the fresh night's air. Combine that with pyrotechnics and this man is a happy boy!As January approaches, named for the double-faced Roman god, Janus, take time for reflection. He presided over transitions. From one year to the next, from war to peace, from conflict to resolution. Bid farewell to 2016 and look forward to 2017 with anticipation and hope despite the many inauspicious auguries many expect. As ever - BB
"Hope, Smiles from the threshold of the year to come, Whispering 'it will be happier'...” - Alfred Lord Tennyson
