As if your hangover isn’t enough, here’s a Pretzel Logic look at celebrating the New Year.
Party On
If you end up not getting enough revelry the night before January 1, here are (according to various web sites I visited) some of the other New Year’s you can celebrate in the year 2006: South Africa (Tweede Nuewe Jaar) – January 2; Brunei Darussalam – January 2; Mahayan Buddhist New Years – January 14; Russia (Orthodox New Year) – January 14; Vietnam – January 28; Chinese – January 29; Islamic (Muharramn) – January 31; Baha’i – March 21; Iranian/Zoroastrian (Norooz) – March 21; India – March 22; Hindu (Hindi New Year) – March 30; Therevadin Buddhist New Year – April 13; Cambodia – April 14; Myanmar (Myanmar New Year) – April 17; Hindu (Ratha-yatra) – June 27; Mayan (Wajxaqib’ B’atz’) – July 17; Jewish (Rosh Hashana) – September 23 – or sundown, September 22 to get technical; Celtic (Samhain) – November 1; Myanmar (Karen New Year) – December 19.
A New Year’s With A Lot Of Drive
According to the Jewfaq.org web site: ‘In Judaism, Nissan 1 is the new year for the purpose of counting the reign of kings and months on the calendar… ‘
Happy Jew Year
That same web site continued by noting: ‘…Elul 1 (in August) is the new year for the tithing of animals, Shevat 15 (in February) is the new year for trees (determining when first fruits can be eaten, etc.), and Tishri 1 (Rosh Hashanah) is the new year for years (when we increase the year number. Sabbatical and Jubilee years begin at this time).’
This Is Also Now A Phase Of Tourism
According to one web site, on the Mayan New Year (Wajxaqib’ B’atz’) ‘Maya Shamans or Aki jab perform the ceremony. They wish to share their knowledge with other cultures as this is now a phase of cooperation and not of obscurity as it was during the Spanish conquest and following years.’
Marching Into A January New Year
During the Middle Ages, most European countries used March 25, a Christian holiday called Annunciation Day, to start the year. By 1600, many Western nations had adopted a revised calendar called the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar (which is the one we still use) restored January 1 as New Year’s Day. The United Kingdom and its colonies in America adopted it in 1752.
A Fawlty Holiday
January 1 is the Orthodox Christian Feast of St. Basil.
A Faulty Song Translation?
Here is an English translation of the start of a Greek New Year’s Song: ‘Saint Basil comes / And does not acknowledge us / From Caesarea / You are, you are the mistress of the house! / He holds a pen and paper / And leavened sweets / Paper, paper and ink / Look at me, look at me, the brave one!’
Bouncing Into The New Year
The National Taiwan University rugby team has a tradition (which started with celebrating the new millennium) of playing naked rugby on New Year’s Day.
I Think They Might Have Started Celebrating New Year’s A Little Early Over At Gaymart.com
A check of the ‘New Years Music’ page at Gaymart.com (a Canadian web site – I have no idea if they are related to the store on Halsted), revealed this description of their New Year’s music selection: ‘New Year’s music to bring the celebration to your home – some with a gay theme, some with traditional music performed by gay and lesbian choruses.’ The three CDs listed on that page were ‘Abba Gold: Greatest Hits’, ‘Gay Classics, Vol. IX – Hangin’ Out’, and ‘Queer as Folk 2 Soundtrack’, none of which have anything even remotely to do with New Year’s or gay and lesbian choruses.
Homo For The Holidays
Gaylife.com had a web page that suggested checking out their ‘revised gay color chart’ so you can select the proper hankie ‘before you plan your holiday party outfit!’
You can wish me a happy Wajxaqib’ B’atz’ at PretzelLogicDave@aol.com. Photos of National Taiwan University rugby players are always welcome.