January 1
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"Happy New Year!" "The same to you, and many more." The familiar greeting heard throughout the United States on January First has a counterpart in every land. The words may be different and the dates may vary, but new year greetings everywhere express the hope for renewed life and happiness.
Throughout history, primitive and civilized peoples alike have celebrated the coming of a new year. For ancient peoples dependent upon the land, time revolved about the seasons. A new year began for the Egyptians when the life-giving waters of the Nile River overflowed their banks, and the early Britons counted from the first day of spring, as did the Romans. To this day some countries begin their year with the vernal equinox.
As civilization advanced, a calendar based on the seasons was no longer practical, and in 45 B.C. the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar ordered the adoption of a calendar which would correlate the civil and the astronomical years. The Romans arbitrarily chose January 1 as the first day of the year and so it has remained in all parts of the Western world, even though the Gregorian calendar, in general use since 1582, altered the division of the months. Present day New Year's customs also perpetuate many Old World traditions.
January, which derives its name from Janus, the Roman god of Beginnings, endings, openings and closings, appropriately symbolizes the theme of leaving the old for the new. When we see the old year out and noisily welcome the new one, we are following the ancient tradition of burying the past and frightening away demons that might threaten the future. The modern reveler who blows toy horns and turns on the factory siren is erasing past mistakes or failures with a noisy final gesture. And when he hurls confetti to the winds, whistles and shouts, he is showing his joyous expectancy for the new year. Father Time, always shown as a very old man with a long white beard carrying a scythe, is ceremoniously ushered out, and the round fat cherub, symbolizing the new year redolent with hope, is welcomed amid wild cheers. Whether the New Year's Eve party is in a luxurious hotel ballroom or in a modest home, it will be gay, noisy and glittery. The music will be loud and carefree, and there will be bright colors, festive foods, and high good spirits to make this last night of the year one of fun and frivolity. At celebrations in restaurants, clubs and shipboard salons, guests are given silly paper hats and noisemakers and as the evening goes on no one remains a stranger. At midnight everyone joins hands and sings, "We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for Auld Lang Syne."
Preparation for the party includes planning what one will wear. If it is a formal affairs, men will wear tuxedos and the ladies will put on their most elegant gowns. And even small parties mean "dressing up." But if it is a masked ball, "dressing up" takes another form. The guests vie for the most original, exotic, humorous or appealing costume. Hidden behind a mask or domino, dignity and care are cast aside, and not until unmasking at midnight must the party-goers discard the illusion of their changed personalities.
Not everyone goes to a party, but almost everyone makes an occasion of New Year's Eve. A favorite place to see the old year out is New York City's Times Square. Thousands of New Yorkers and tourists crowd this famous spot (at the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue) and crane their necks to watch for "Happy New Year" to flash across the electronically controlled sign tract that circles the Allied Chemical Tower. When the moment arrives bedlam breaks forth. Bells ring, whistles blow, people cheer with unrestrained exuberance. This chaotic scene is repeated in public squares throughout the country, but not at the same moment. Because of the four time zones in the United States the New Year comes to the Central States one hour later, to the Mountain States two hours later, and finally to the Western States three hours after the Eastern States have noisily said good-bye to another year. So by following the radio and television broadcasts everyone can enjoy the festivities in other parts of the country as well as their own.
Some people prefer to see the old year out at a church service. Although the holiday does not have religious origin, churches of many denominations and faiths hold "Watch Night" services on New Year's Eve. Practices differ among the religions but most of these late evening services include a period of quiet meditation, perhaps a short talk, prayers and hymn singing. The spirit is one of sobriety, joyous renewal and of rededication to the principles of the faith.
Then with the arrival of the pristine new year, thoughts turn to the future-a future viewed optimistically and hopefully. Greeting cards and spoken messages convey wishes for health, wealth and long life. A new year allows a fresh start and New Year's resolutions abound.Grown-ups and children alike enthusiastically vow to get rid of their bad habits and resolve to lead better lives.
Despite the sincerity of the resolutions, no one seems surprised that the determination to "turn over a new leaf" disappears before the new year is well started.
Just as each person takes year-end stock of his individual progress and needs, business and government leaders also evaluate prospects for national and international affairs. Political analysts summarize the past and predict future trends, and printed charts show the state of the economy. Authorities in every field broadcast "wrap ups" of the year's events, and with characteristic new year spirit they predict greater things to come.
Although New Year's traditions in the United States stem from as many cultures as do the people themselves, they have gradually assumed a typical American flavor. The giving of gifts, for instance, an important part of Roman and Old English tradition, has all but disappeared. Instead, New Year's cards are exchanged among friends and relatives, and commercial firms combine greetings with advertisement of their products by distributing calendars and small trinkets. There are, of course, notable survivals still followed in their original form. Two of the most cherished came from Scotland: toasting from the wassail bowl and the ever-popular song, "Auld Lang Syne."
The custom of visiting friends, relative and neighbors on New Year's Day is one of the Old World traditions that has taken on a new form in the United States. It is called the Open House. Officially inaugurated by George Washington during his first term as president, it is now as much as part of New Year's Day as floral parades and football games. On January 1, 1789, President Washington first opened the doors of his official residence, then in Philadelphia, to all who wished to come. Then, when the capital was moved to the Federal City in 1800 the White House Became the scene of the annual open house. Over the years the occasion grew increasingly elaborate. The vice-president and his wife and the cabinet members and their wives were added to the receiving line, and sumptuous food and patriotic music created an atmosphere of elegant conviviality. This White House tradition came to an end with the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose physical handicap prevented him from standing, but the Open House is till a very popular way for clubs, civic organizations and individuals to observe the holiday.
An open house is just what the name implies: the front door is left open, inside there is a spirit of relaxed cordiality, and guests are free to arrive and leave when they like. Invitations may say simply, "Drop in after the game." or "Come drink a New Year's toast with us." At a large party, and most of them are large, guests serve themselves from festive buffet tables laden with cold roast beef, turkey and ham (along with cranberry sauce and other holiday specialties), a chafing dish of tiny meat balls or a cheese fondue, and platters of decorative and delicious hors d'oeuvres. They meet new friends, greet old ones, and drink repeated toasts from the punch bowl.
Americans love parades and nowhere more than in the New Year's Day spectacles do we note remnants of medieval pageantry, Lively music, fine horsemanship, and athletic finesse create an excitement clearly reminiscent of the Roman circus.
Chariot races were even a part of the early Tournaments of Roses. First the glitter and drama of the colorful parade and then the football stadium becomes the arena for the cheering crowds.At New Year's most of the United States is blanketed in cold winter weather, but in California and the Southern States January is generally fair and mild. Gardens are in full bloom, the citrus crops ripen, and balmy weather invites outdoor recreation. The now famous New Year's parades and Bowl games have grown up in this atmosphere. Their names typify the region: Pasadena, California, has its Tournament of Roses and Rose Bowl game; in Miami, Florida, it is the Orange Bowl; at Dallas, Texas, the Cotton Bowl; and at New Orleans, Louisiana, the Sugar Bowl. Recently, two more have appeared: the Gator (alligator) Bowl at Jacksonville, Florida, and the Sun Bowl at El Paso, Texas. The Tournament of Roses is the oldest and largest of the New Year's pageants. From a small village celebration started some 75 years ago when members of the Valley Hunt Club decorated their surreys with flowers to celebrate the ripening of the oranges, it has grown into an internationally renowned event. Three and a half million spectators line the Pasadena streets and another 70 million television viewers watch miles of flower-bedecked floats transform the city into a make-believe world of beauty and imagination. Each year there are 50 or 60 floats made entirely of live flowers, mostly from Southern California, although some are shipped in from the Netherlands, Africa and Hawaii. Some depict storybook characters. others suggest the sponsor's hallmark, and some represent abstract ideas. Exotic figures from the Arabian Nights and such fabulous personages as Jack and the Bean Stalk Enchant the children as well as their parents. Giant flower-covered animals bow to the onlookers and mysteriously articulate, "Happy New animals bow to the onlookers and mysteriously articulate, "Happy New Year," while a gardenia-encrusted world revolves slowly above a platform where marigolds spell out PEACE; and the float carrying the Citrus Queen sprays orange-scented perfume along the parade route. Preparation for the New Year's parades and games represents a year-long effort. Themes, floats and entertainment are planned far in advance and teams of professionals spend months creating the floats. The queens and their courts are usually elected from college student bodies, and before they mount their flowery thrones they are presented at gala coronation balls.
Several days before the old year ends the city of Pasadena suspends all other activities and devotes itself to the Tournament of Roses. Special committees arrange accommodations for the thousands of visitors to already populous southern California, and by New Year's Eve the parade passes the following day.
As the last floats pass by, the crowds are beginning to move toward the football stadium. The rose Bowl game, the most eagerly awaited sports contest of the year, matches the winner of the "Big Twelve" with a representative of the Pacific Coast Conference, chosen by the Intercollegiate Conference Committee, unofficially assisted by every sports writer in the country and innumerable partisan fans. Marching bands in trim uniforms keep the crowd entertained while the stadium fills. Drum majors (and Majorettes) prance and team mascots and clowns cavort around the field as the band plays the school songs and cheer leaders organize the rooting sections. For many these colorful pre-game events are as much of an attraction as the game itself. Sports enthusiasts in other parts of the country enjoy the game by radio or television. They invite in a few friends, have an informal picnic-style meal, and gather around the TV set to share the holiday mood of the spectators in the stadium.
New Year's dinners with traditional holiday foods and drinks are customary with many families. It is a time to cement ties of kinship and to observe both faces of January--to be grateful for the blessings of the past year while looking forward to a brighter future.