Well, it looks like the New Year will soon be upon us once again
as we celebrate with family and friends. We do the same thing every year ~ we all stay up to watch the ball drop on Times Square, sing “Auld Lang Syne” and shout “Happy New Year!” My husband and I always like to watch “Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve” while drinking Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante.
2011 has been quite an interesting year for us. We bought our first home and, more notably, we got to take yet another trip with my in-laws. This time it was to beautiful Ontario, Canada! Goddess, what gorgeous skies and such a breath-taking Country ...
Not to mention the cool wildlife we were fortunate enough to see living right outside the backyard of our cabin ...
(A beautiful doe, a porcupine, and a very curious little skunk who decided to walk underneath our cabin one night)
Ever wondered where our New Year's traditions actually came from or how this holiday was celebrated many years ago? Well, the New Year celebration is amongst the oldest of all the holidays which we observe. It was first celebrated in Ancient Babylon about 4,000 years ago. Around the year 2,000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon ~ the first visable crescent after the Vernal Equinox or first day of Spring which we, as Wiccans/Pagans, call Ostara. The Babylonian New Year celebration lasted for eleven days.
The Romans observed the New Year in late March; however, their calender was continually changed by their various emperors, causing the calender to soon become out of synchronization with the Sun. Therefore, in order to set the calender right, in 153 BC the Roman senate declared January 1st to offically be the beginning of the New Year.
However you and yours choose to celebrate the New Year, it will always be a time of rebirth, planting new crops to later blossom, and along with them a chance for us all to start anew!
FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS, I WISH EVERYONE A VERY SAFE, JOYOUS NEW YEAR AND MAY THE COMING YEAR BE EVEN BETTER THAN THE LAST!!!!
"Rockin' in the Free World" ~ Neil Young
Happy new year to you and your family.Love Jill xx
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Kim ;o) I can't believe this, first you drink my mom's favorite win, then you say, you were in Ontario Canada!! That's the province I live in ;o) You must have been up north! Orillia, Gravenhurst, area. Looks like you stayed in a beautiful spot! I love the lesson about all the New Year's traditions, thank you! Happy New Year!!! Many blessings to you and your family and friends ;o) Hugs ;o)
ReplyDeleteJill ~ Many blessinga to you and yours!!
ReplyDeleteMagic Love Crow ~ LMAO! Actually, we drove from Manhattan, New York to Kingston, Ontario. What a fun ride - we just loved it! How lucky you are to live in such a beautiful Province. Me thinks I would like to live there, too someday!!! :D
Love and Hugs to all,
Kim
Kim, my brother went to University in Kingston ;o) I know the area ;o) Big Hugs ;o)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year dear sister. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Niel Young...did you know he is trying to make cars that run on "air". Isn't that so cool.
ReplyDeleteI sure do hope and pray that this coming year will be better for our little family as well as all the beautiful peoples of our marvelous Mother Earth.
Bright Blessings, Abundance, Compassion, Happiness and Peace to ALL !