New Year is approaching and in no time 2019 has almost come to a close mixed with bitter-sweet moments and memories. New Year celebration has its own unique cultural significance, as it is also a time to retrospect and introspect about life that the passing year has offered. What are your thoughts? How are you welcoming the New Year?
Are you ready to kickoff the New Year 2020?
The beginning of the New Year always comes with a unique set of celebrations with exotic rituals, merriment, great parties, and unique customs. Many people celebrate New Year in the company of loved ones, involving traditions meant to bring luck and success in the upcoming year. John R. Dallas Jr. rightly quoted that “Each year’s regrets are envelopes in which messages of hope are found for the New Year.” New Year marks a date of newly found happiness and a clean slate; hence, many cultures celebrate this happy day in their unique way. For many celebrating New Year, it is an opportunity to learn from the prior year and make positive changes in their life.
Circles have long been considered sacred in the Philippines as such they feature heavily in New Year. You’ll find round shapes all over the Philippines on New Year’s Eve as representatives of coins to symbolize prosperity in the coming year. Many families display piles of fruit on their dining tables and some eat exactly 12 round fruits (grapes being the most common) at midnight. Many also wear polka dots for luck. It is indeed riveting that we try too hard for luck to favour us. But is life all about being lucky? Rather than being lucky why not create one on our own. Have we wasted one more year of our life waiting for luck? Remember God helps those who help themselves. Without trying our best and doing our parts no one can help us.
Denmark redefines the idea of a unique New Year celebration where they simply smash plates. Yes, you read that right. While most countries host New Year parties to spend quality time with friends and family, in Denmark you are required to pick up your unwanted crockery and smash them against the doors of family and friends to banish bad spirits. Well, that sounds like a mirthful experience. New Years should be about changing and improvising the old us. It should be a time when we change the old bad habits of ours and get over it just as the practice of banishing bad spirits in Denmark.
The Japanese have their own unique set of traditions when it comes to New Year celebrations. New Year’s Eve, which is also known as Omisoka, and the tradition is ringing bells in Buddhist temples, and that too exactly 108 times. This is done to symbolize the 108 human sins in Buddhist belief, and the bell is rung 108 times with the belief of cleansing them of the previous year’s sins. Has 2019 been a year where our human desires overpowered our conscience that led us to do things that we shouldn’t have? If yes, it is time for us to cleanse ourselves from those sins.
An onion is traditionally hung on the front door of homes on New Year’s Eve in Greece as a symbol of rebirth in the New Year. On New Year’s Day, parents wake their children by tapping them on the head with the onion. This tradition may be a little expensive here in India in the present scenario given the fact that onions are expensive. Is your 2019 a year where you tried mending yourself? Rebirth does not always mean a physical one but been born again mentally, intellectually, spiritually, and whatnot. Let this New Year be one where we can be born again to be a better version of our self.
It is whimsical to learn and relate to the New Year traditions of Argentina and Bolivia. Argentines believe pink underwear will attract love in the New Year whereas Bolivians believe wearing bright yellow underwear on New Year’s Eve will increase fortune in the New Year. Sound ludicrous right? But we sure can give this tradition a try (might even be worth it)!!!
End-of-the-years are special to all for more reasons than one. New Year has always been special to me as it is a period to reflect, ameliorate and/or reinvigorate. Cognitively, I prepare a Balance Sheet of how my preceding year passed. On one hand, I take into account how much I have put my efforts on and achieved (succeed); and on the other hand, areas where I haven’t done my best and have failed to accomplish. Before we begin a New Year we need to put the old year behind us. With refined goals, new objectives and a greater perspective I am here to welcome the New Year 2020. How well are you ready to ring in your New Year?
Today January 1st is one of those holidays that many people think is just about partying and bringing in the New Year with some new resolutions that can hardly be kept. New Year Day isn’t just an ordinary day but has a deeper meaning. The name of January is derived from the two-faced god with the Latin name of Janus. The reason he has two faces is that one face looks back into the past, and the other face forward to the future. This is essentially what happens right at New Year’s Eve when you countdown to midnight which is the ending of one year and the beginning of a brand new year. Let’s take a heap of faith in this New Year and fill it with new hopes and dreams, new opportunities, meeting the right people and achieve higher grounds. The New Year 2020 has 366 new days so we have 366 new chances and even more. With the New Year, are we going to start a new chapter with new verses, or just the same old story? The choice is ours. Your New Year is a blank book, waiting to be written-the pen to which is in your hands. Write your own beautiful and successful story.
Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editors are Dr Hewasa Lorin, Dr. Aniruddha Babar, Dr. Pfokrelo Kapesa, Rinsit B Sareo, Meren Lemtur and Kvulo Lorin.
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