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| Sunday, 10 April 2005 |
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Quaint New Year rituals The impressive red of the 'erabudu' bloom and mellifluous tenor of the 'koha'.... April is here, and to many Sri Lankans it means just one thing - the Sinhala and Tamil New year.
The astrological significance of the solar navigation is solemnised through auspicious moments that determine when exactly the old year ends and the New Year dawns, and when one should carry out the various traditions and rituals. In a sense it is the zodiac propitiousness that give the festival its sublime quality. But in a different, more universal sense, it is the traditional festive activities with its accompanying quaint customs and traditions that make the New Year so unique. For, although people all over the world celebrate the New Year at different times of the year, according to the calendar they follow, what makes it unique to a particular country, are the quaint traditions that have endured into the 21st century despite modern thoughts, beliefs and technological innovations. So, leaving others to detail traditional Sri Lankan festive activities elsewhere, we take a look at some of the quaint customs practised around the world in the distant past and the visible present while wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year. Ancient Egypt In the land of the Pharaohs and pyramids where the river Nile paved the way for one of the earliest civilisations, the New Year was celebrated around the end of September, the time when the Nile flooded. This was a significant occasion, because without the flooding of the Nile, people would not have been able to grow crops in the arid, desert lands of Egypt. Celebrations commenced with the statues of God Amon being given a boat ride along the Nile in the company of his wife and son. This was followed by festivity, where people sang, danced and feasted for a month until the statues were restored to the temple. Babylon In what is modern day Iraq, the New Year ushered in the season of spring and festive activities included the king, being dethroned, stripped off his clothes and sent away for a few days and his subjects given the freedom to do just about anything they liked. The festivities ended when the king, garbed in fine new robes, returned in a grand procession to renew his rule. And life returned to normal. Rome Rome, until 46 BC celebrated New Year, on the first of March. But after Emperor Julius Caesar began the new calendar, (incidentally it is the calendar that is in use even today) the date was changed to the first day of January, named after the Roman God Janus. History records Janus as having two heads - one looking back to the year just gone by and the other looking ahead to the new one. Called the 'Calends' the Roman New Year celebrations were somewhat similar to modern day festivities where people decorated their homes and gave each other gifts. Slaves were often invited to join their masters for the festive meal, and people were given the leeway to do what they pleased for a few days. The Celts A mystical lot, who believed in magical powers, fairies, ghosts and Druids, the Celts lived in Gaul, the land of the Asterix antic, and modern day France and parts of Britain before the arrival of the Romans. Called the Samhain, meaning summer's end, the Celtic New Year took place at the end of October. The Celts, who believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to haunt the living gathered mistletoe to keep the spectres away. Possibly, this is how the Christmas mistletoe tradition originated. The Hindus Hindus living in various parts of India, don't celebrate New Year in the same way or at the same time. In the Northern Indian state of West Bengal people wear flowers as part of their New Year traditions, with women showing a penchant for yellow, depicting the colour of spring. In the South Indian state of Kerala women often place food, flowers and little gifts on special trays and present it to little children on New Year's morning. Buildings in central India fly orange flags on New Year's day. The state of Gujrat celebrates its New Year at the end of October when the rest of India observes Diwali, the Festival of Lights, a special feature of which is the lighting of small oil lamps along the roofs of the buildings. The Jews The Jew refer to their New Year, which ushers in the harvest period as Rosh Hashanah, and deem it a holy time for people to take a retrospective look at their past, correct their mistakes and come up character forming resolutions for the future. Synagogues (Jewish temples) host special New Year services, the highlight is which is the musical accompaniment of the Shomar, an instrument made from the horn of the ram. Another quaint Jewish tradition is the New Year loaf, a sort of bread which is eaten with fruits as part of the festive meal and as an ode to the healthy harvest. The Persians In ancient Persia (modern day Iran), the New Year marked the beginning of spring and was celebrated on March 21. One of the Persian traditions included the germination of wheat or barley sprouts in a little dish, that reminded people of new beginnings. Vietnam The Vietnamese people call their New Year, which falls somewhere between January 21 and February 19, Tet Nguyen Dan or Tet for short. Steeped in a little bit of magic and a whole lost of arcane lore, the festival activities centre on a special deity, who is believed to reside in every Vietnamese home and who is believed to travel to heaven on New Year's eve to report to a greater God on how each family has behaved during the year. The Vietnamese believe their God ride a Carp (a fish) to heaven, and in a quaint traditions, practised even today, many buy live Carps and set them free in rivers or ponds. Japan Like in most western countries, New Year in Japan is celebrated on January 1. But unlike western celebrations, the Japanese have retained some Shinto customs and rituals, and often hang a rope or a straw cross on their doors to keep out the evil spirits and usher in happiness and good luck. In what can be described as one of the quaintest rituals, the Japanese usher in the New year with loud guffaws, believing that such show of levity will bring them good luck. China Similar to the Vietnamese, the Chinese also celebrate their New Year between January 17 and February 19, based on the appearance of the time of the new moon. Called Yuan Tan, the main, and often exciting highlight of the celebration is the Festival of Lantern, a street procession where thousands of lanterns are used to light the way, ushering in the New Year. Europe New Year celebrations in ancient Europe, revolved around the story of Saint Sylvester's encounter with a sea monster holding centre stage. History records that in AD 314, the good folk of Europe believed that the monster captured by St Sylvester would escape and destroy the world. New Year was celebrated when the dreaded event didn't happen and in some parts of Switzerland and Austria, people dress up in quaint Sylvesterklause costumes to celebrate Saint Sylvester's Eve even today. Greece The Greeks celebrate the Festival of Saint Basil as their New Year's day. Greek children leave their shoes by the fire with the hope that St Basil will come and fill them with gifts, on New Year's day. Scotland Referred to as Hogmanay, the Scots in some villages celebrate their New Year by rolling tar barrels which have been set on fire, through the streets. The Scots believe the fiery traditions burns out the old year paving the way for the New Year to enter. In a tradition called 'first-footing' the Scottish people also believe that if the first person entering the house during the New Year is a dark-haired man bringing gifts, it will bring good luck to the household. Canada New Year in Canada's British Columbia, is significant for its traditional polar bear swim, where people of all ages put on bathing suits and plunge into the icy cold water, which surrounds Vancouver during the winter. - HANA |
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A time to reflect on things that were and resolve to change that will
be for the better, the New Year is, in an astrological sense the
traversing of the sun from Sagittarius to Aries - a square one return of
sorts for the sun from the 12th constellation to home base on the first
constellation in the zodiac. 
