We are close to the end of 2022, and, as always, our thoughts turn to what the next year might hold. Why do many people decide to use this time of year to reflect on what they have done and how they might want to change in the following twelve months? Has January 1 historically been the date of New Year? Why is New Year more important in some cultures? Why do we make resolutions? I decided to look at this phenomenon because I have researched Christmas exhaustively but never even looked at New Year in any depth. Follow me as I make my own voyage of discovery and find some answers to the questions above and some others that will arise.
The development of New Year celebrations
As with many things that have their origins in the era before recorded history, we can only guess at how people millennia ago even marked the year. Take Stonehenge, for example. We know that at the Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice, the large central stones frame the rising sun. In that sense it was like a giant calendar, but we don’t know if the Summer Solstice or the Winter Solstice marked the start of their year, if they even had a concept of the rolling year outside of the two Solstice days. Did the Solstice come as a surprise to them every year when it arrived, or did the priests have some way of tracking the course of the sun? It seems likely from the rituals passed down, presumably in the oral tradition, that the Winter Solstice marked the rebirth of the Sun god, but who knows if that was the way that druidic cultures viewed that time of the year? The rituals in cultures who adopted a calendar based on the sun focused their festivals on the Winter Solstice with decorations, feasting, social bonding and fire. By contrast, the Babylonian calendar set New Year’s Day in March, sometime around the Spring Equinox, whilst the Romans, who initially had a year consisting of 10 months, set March 1 as their New Year’s Day. That changed when Ianarius (January) and Februarius (February) were added to the calendar and, despite initially being considered to be the last two months of the year, they became the start of the year and January 1 became the ‘New Year’ as this was when Consuls were elected. Most European nations accepted January 1 as the New Year in the 16th and 17th Centuries. The UK, who had previously designated March 25 as New Year’s Day, held out against this until 1752, when they finally accepted it for business reasons. With everyone else on holiday, trade could not effectively take place on that day! Why was March 25 originally set as New Year’s Day? Well, the church set March 25 as the date of the Feast of the Annunciation when the Angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, because 9 months later was the date set as Christmas Day. As such, this was the start of the religious year for many people. New Year’s Day in Georgian and Victorian times, long since set as January 1, was the time when presents were most likely to be exchanged. It was 1974 when the final step was taken and New Year’s Day, like Christmas Day and Boxing Day became a public holiday.
In a number of countries, New Year is based on the lunar calendar rather than a solar one. For example, the Chinese New Year can occur on any date between January 12 to February 20. In Hong Kong, both the lunar and solar New Years are celebrated, but January 1 is definitely the minor festival. The Islamic tradition has an even more mobile New Year, given that the lunar year is 12 days shorter than the Gregorian Calendar used in setting the solar New Year. As a result, the date typically moves back 11 or 12 days each year, so the 2023 date is 19 July and the 2024 date is set as 7 July. However, for the purposes of this entry, I will concentrate on the celebration of New Year on January 1.
New Year in England
The celebration of New Year’s Eve in England is a relatively recent phenomenon that has become increasingly popular since 1974 when the newly instituted public holiday allowed a day of recovery from the previous night’s excesses! In general, New Year’s Eve is seen as a time for people to see their friends, having spent Christmas Day with their family. The parties that see the New Year in, tend to be alcohol and dance filled as people take a final chance to let their hair down before returning to work. In my teens and early 20s, prior to having a family, I never missed a New Year’s Eve party, but since having a family the events we have gone to, if indeed I have gone anywhere, have been in child friendly situations and at child friendly times. When I was in the RAF, Christmas Day leave was generally given to those with children whilst New Year’s Day leave was generally given to those without. I remember thinking at the time that this was absolutely right despite my love for Christmas. Where institutions are required to give a service covering every day of the year, that is often the model still used by those planning leave.
It wasn’t completely unheard of for some people to celebrate New Year’s Day with fireworks at midnight. However, it was the advent of the year 2000 which was perhaps the first one that had a fireworks display at its centre in England. Fireworks were more common in warmer climes, for example Australia, but since then the idea of a big fireworks display has gained traction. Many people welcome this development, but a large number do not, for the same reasons as they do not welcome fireworks on Guy Fawkes Night, but it seems as though they are here to stay. For my part, I feel that the sounding of horns by all the boats on a river, a New Year’s tradition my wife, who lived near to the River Medway, loved, is a far more evocative and pleasant way to usher in another 12 months.
New Year in Scotland
Hogmanay is the celebration that takes pride of place in Scotland, over and above Christmas Day as it is of far longer standing. There are a number of festivals that have contributed to the development of Hogmanay, including the Pagan Winter Solstice, the Gaelic festival of Samhain and the Viking Yule. There are various Hogmanay celebrations across Scotland with the most internationally recognised being that in the city of Edinburgh.
There are some Scottish traditions that add a lot of flavour to the Hogmanay celebrations. My favourite custom is that of first footing. This involves the first person from outside your family unit to cross the threshold on New Year’s Day. They should carry items such as coal, shortbread, whisky and a rich fruit cake, often a Clootie dumpling. Good luck will visit the household if your first footer carries some or all of these items, and if that person is tall and dark haired. Why dark haired? Well, the explanation I heard is that if the person appearing on your threshold in the days of Yule was fair haired they would probably be a Viking raider whose appearance at your door would be the worst possible start to what could be a very short New Year for you!
New Year in Japan
The New Year is an incredibly important time in Japan, in a cultural, religious, and social sense. Christmas is seen as a fun festival for young children, but has no importance in anything other than a commercial sense. New Year, on the other hand, is based around visits to Buddhist Temples, family meals and a series of rituals designed to clean the house and its inhabitants both externally and internally. It is called Omisoka, and up until 1873 was a lunar New Year which occurred at different times based on the phases of the moon. However, at the start of the Meiji era, the Gregorian calendar was adopted to set the date of New Year’s Day as January 1. People clean their houses, bathe and pay their debts on December 31 in order to start the New Year completely fresh. Families eat soba noodles, typically about an hour before New Year arrives, which are long and associated with good health and longeivity. Temples ring their bells 108 times to represent the 108 ways in which people can fall short of the model behaviour required by Buddhist teaching. Japanese families will go to the temples together to see in the New Year in the most auspicious place possible. The Grand Shrine at Ise, the central shrine of Buddhism in Japan, is crowded with thousands of worshippers, as are the temples throughout Japan. I found the Japanese New Year meaningful, fascinating and thought provoking, everything the Western New Year lacked.
New Year in Australia
This was the most fun I have ever had as one year ticked over into the next. On three occasions I watched the fireworks over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, and on each occasion I loved it, which may surprise people who think of me as a curmudgeon when it comes to pyrotechnics! The atmosphere, like the Australian Christmas I described for Blogmas is completely different because it is the summer. We would head down to a viewing point, or stay in the parks where we could see the display unfold amongst people, like us, in shorts, t-shirts and hats. There was a real carnival atmosphere in the air and very little trouble despite the amount of drink being imbibed. If you were worried about your younger children’s bedtime, there was a slightly truncated display at 8.30 in the evening, allowing you to get them home for a slightly later, rather than a much later, bedtime. When I think of New Year’s Eve, this is the country I think of.
New Year’s Resolutions
These have a religious origin, and appear in many religions, most commonly around New Year. They used to be focused on avoiding sins, becoming more chivalrous or charitable or reaffirming their commitment to God. Nowadays, they focus, especially in the West, on becoming a more complete person. It is a very clear move from an outward looking process to an inward looking process, which makes resolutions accessible to those who have no religious belief. Many of us will try to give up bad habits and adopt good ones, but these resolutions often last for only a short time! A 2007 study carried out by the University of Bristol suggested that 88% of people fail to keep their resolutions, which is actually lower than I expected! What about me? Well, I still make resolutions but they tend to be open ended aims which might make them easier to keep. Mine are below so I might keep you posted as to my progress in 2023!
Happy New Year to all of you and may 2023 be full of fortune, love and success.
Hi everyone. This post is a #Blogmas bonus of sorts! Although my 25 day challenge ended on Christmas Day itself, I felt that a follow up was itching to be written. As it made sense to add the post to my Blogmas section I see this as Post 26.
Blogmas and its effects
When I put my list of Blogmas posts together, I thought that it would be a fairly straightforward set of articles. I mean, I was writing about my favourite time of the year and I pride myself on being something of an expert. What I ended up experiencing was a more emotional effect than I ever imagined. Some of the articles went into my personal history and the way that I have tried to make Christmas as good as possible for my children. I realised in a way that I perhaps had never realised before, quite how important it has become over the 30 years and more of family life. These occasionally silly things have become closely attached to how I see myself and perhaps how I am seen by others. Over the 25 days I revisited books, films and music that have had a huge impact on me.
My favourite Blogmas effect, however, came courtesy of my long term crush Isla St Clair, who told me how much she had enjoyed my post about her fantastic Christmas album! My 14 year old self would have been over the moon with that, and my much older self experienced a definite quickening of the pulse so the crush is still present and correct!
Christmas 2022
This year has been a lovely, relaxing time with my family around. I never take the time with them for granted, or at least I hope I don’t, but this year definitely seemed to affect me a little more than usual. By looking back at the amount my times with my wife and children has meant to me, I was reminded to live in the moment just a little bit more.
Thanks for the comments, the support and the interest. Happy New Year one and all.
So, welcome to the final day of #Blogmas 2022. Thank you to the readers who have read every article and thank you to the readers who have dipped in once or twice. It has been a very good challenge for me, as it has forced me to write consistently over the course of a month and it has allowed me to indulge my passion for Christmas. If you will allow me, though, I will add some personal reflections and my wishes to all of you.
This year, and indeed the preceding few, have been very tough for many people.
- If this means that you are struggling then I hope this day, week and year ahead bring you a measure of ease that you need.
- If this means that you have found it hard to get into the Christmas spirit, however you see that phrase, be gentle with yourself. This year, I too have found it very difficult at times to feel Christmassy, after an incredibly stressful year at work. Use this time to escape from daily challenges and rest up if you can.
- If this means ignoring Christmas, then do so. Social pressure should not be the reason you reluctantly take part.
- If you have become estranged from family and friends, don’t put pressure on yourself to rebuild bridges, as this is very pressure filled, but try to be open to any improvements in your relationship.
However you celebrate or don’t celebrate, my good wishes go with you today and in the future. Look forward with hope and look back at what has been good with gratitude.
And so, as Tiny Tim observed, ‘God Bless Us Everyone’.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1843)
The history of the Queen’s Christmas Message
At 3pm on Christmas Day, something will happen that the vast majority of the UK have never experienced before, and only those in their late 70s or older will have any memory of. Charles III will deliver the King’s Christmas Message. The last time that happened was in 1951 when a very ill King George VI delivered his final Christmas Day message from Sandringham. The message was pre-recorded and broadcast on radio by the BBC, in the UK and across the world. Queen Elizabeth II delivered her first Christmas Queen’s Christmas Message from Sandringham in 1952, sitting in the same chair that her father, George VI, and grandfather, George V sat in. She first allowed the television cameras in to film her Christmas Message in 1957, which was the 25th anniversary of her grandfather’s first Christmas Message. In 1959 she pre-recorded her Christmas Message to allow it to be sent to the Commonwealth in time for a 3pm broadcast on Christmas Day. With the live messages, it meant that Australia and New Zealand were actually hearing the Christmas Day message on Boxing Day! From then on, it has been pre-recorded and has been a centrepiece of the television schedules every year, with just two exceptions. The first exception was in 1963 when she reverted to a radio broadcast as she was heavily pregnant with Prince Edward. It’s interesting to consider that her condition would not be considered any hinderance nowadays, but they were different times. The second exception was in 1969, the year that the Royal Family documentary was shown and Prince Charles’ Investiture as the Prince of Wales took place. She felt that those two broadcasts had led to quite enough coverage of the Windsor’s that year! The BBC ignored that concern by re-broadcasting the Royal Family documentary simultaneously on BBC1 and BBC2! Instead of reverting to a radio broadcast she issued a written message. In 1997, the message was shared on the internet for the first time. Her final Christmas Message was broadcast on Christmas Day 2021 and reflected the death of Price Philip as well as looking ahead to her Platinum Jubilee.
The content of the Christmas Message
When you look at the speeches year by year, one thing becomes clear. These were not occasions for Queen Elizabeth II to indulge in platitudes. By reading them, you get a real sense of the Queen as a person. She spoke of the Christian faith in her messages, especially in the latter half of her reign. Although it perhaps became increasingly remote to many lives, she made a point of reflecting on the central message of Christmas as she saw it. From 2000, where she considered the role of faith in communities and reflected what she called ‘the true millennium’ marking 2000 years since the birth of Jesus, her own personal declarations of faith became a central part of her messages. In her position as monarch of an increasingly secular society, it can be seen as a clear representation of her role as Defender of the Faith.
In many years she reflected on occasionally controversial social issues. For example, in 1966 she talked about the role of
‘women who have breathed gentleness and care into the harsh progress of mankind. The struggles against inhuman prejudice, against squalor, ignorance, and disease, have always owed a great deal to the determination and tenacity of women.’
These are the words of someone who used her position to talk about people who were otherwise marginalised. Two years later, in 1968, she subtly paid tribute to Martin Luther King, who was assassinated that year by talking about the brotherhood of man which
‘means nothing at all unless the brotherhood, starting with individuals, can reconcile rival communities, conflicting religions, differing races and the divided and prejudiced nations of the world.’
In 1972, 1974 and 1977 she mentioned the conflict in Northern Ireland, and, in the first of those years, she forward with hope to the entry of the UK into the European Economic Community. As her grandchildren were born, she often talked about the lessons that the old could learn from the young, especially in 1984 where she said
‘We could use some of that sturdy self-confidence and devastating honesty with which children rescue us from self-doubts and self-delusions. We could borrow that unstinting trust of the child for its parents for our dealings with each other. Above all, we must retain the child’s readiness to forgive, with which we are all born and which it is all too easy to lose as we grow older.
Finally, she reflected an ongoing fascination with technology and a willingness to embrace it that stemmed, in many ways, from the influence of the forward thinking Prince Philip. As she said in her final Christmas Message last year
‘His sense of service, intellectual curiosity and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation – were all irrepressible. That mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes upon him.’
I cannot think of a better tribute than that to the love of ones life.
The future
Clearly, King Charles II will have a very different style to his mother in terms of his delivery, but perhaps his passions and preoccupations will be similar. One thing is for sure, however, it is a very tough act
Queen Elizabeth II 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022
Sometimes, when I think of Christmas, the first thing that comes to mind is the food. Not because I am inherently greedy, but because the sight, smell and taste of Christmas food can evoke memories like few other things can. My relationship with Christmas food began in earnest the first Christmas after my wife and I got married. I asked her if there was anything she really didn’t like doing, and she said that she hated cooking on Christmas Day. I told her that she would never have to cook on Christmas Day again, and I kept my word – Christmas Dinner Number 32 of our married life on the horizon and I have cooked every one.
I can’t deny that I don’t occasionally have Gordon Ramsay style meltdowns on December 25th (!) but those have become less and less common over the years! After a while you learn shortcuts. On that first Christmas together I cooked enough food to feed the proverbial army! Now, my Christmas Dinners lean towards the much more frugal end of the festive scale. When I was over in Australia I discovered the delights of a Christmas Dinner with salads, now very much my favourite style of festive feast because you can prepare most of the dishes in advance. Also, in recent years, I have moved from full turkeys to turkey crowns, which are much easier to cook, and give me more free time. Woe betide anyone who tries to interfere with menus or cooking though, as I have become very protective of my territory! Our children have grown up seeing me cooking every Christmas, so I am sure that they will not see the kitchen as a place to avoid, apart from when I am swearing at the oven!
In return for Christmas Day away from the kitchen, Janet decided to take care of the baking of everything sweet! Each year she spends hours in the kitchen in October and November in particular, to make sure we have homemade Christmas Cake, Christmas Pudding and Mincemeat. Her home baking is so good, that I genuinely can’t have any shop bought alternatives. All three recipes that she uses come from Delia Smith’s Christmas, which to this day is the best festive recipe book of the lot. I always tell her that the extra ingredient she puts in there that makes everything taste so good is love, and I genuinely wonder if that affects my perception of the taste. As well as baking a fruit cake with large amounts of alcohol for Christmas, she makes a second for my birthday in March!
In common with many people, food is very much a centrepiece of our day, and it means a lot to me that everything we put on our table, with just a few exceptions, is prepared and cooked by us. Yes, we have chocolates – even me and I’m not a fan! – and lots of sweets of various kinds, but they are kept outside of the main meals as a treat. I am not a big drinker at any time of the year, so I don’t tend to have alcohol except in my cakes, puddings and mince pies! My one exception is New Year’s Eve when Janet makes mulled wine, another Delia Smith recipe. When she made it with red wine I would end up having a glass or two at the most, as it was a bit strong for me in terms of the taste, but she hit upon the idea of making it with rose rather than red and I started having three or four glasses very happily. The great thing about the mulled wine is that you can get a very cheap bottle because it tastes just the same once the cinnamon sticks and other spices are added! It is a great example of the way that our festive food and drink has evolved over the years to suit our changing tastes, family size and budget.
Festive food is, and will remain, central to the season, but far more important than what is on the table is who is round the table. A poor meal can be as good as the richest feast when you are sitting with those you love, as the Cratchits demonstrated in their Christmas Day celebration in A Christmas Carol.
May your own Christmas Dinners be tasty, and made and eaten with love.
David Pearce - Popular Culture and Personal Passions 