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New Year Eve: A Different Perspective

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by GeetaKashyap, Jan 1, 2019.

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Jan 1, 2019 #11

joylokhi Platinum IL'ite

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GeetaKashyap said: ↑

New Year is the time of day at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one.

Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner[1] and the 1st day of January is often marked as a national holiday.

In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system today, New Year occurs on January 1 (New Year's Day). This was also the case both in the Roman calendar (at least after about 713 BC) and in the Julian calendar that succeeded it.

Other calendars have been used historically in different parts of the world; some calendars count years numerically, while others do not.

During the Middle Ages in western Europe, while the Julian calendar was still in use, authorities moved New Year's Day, depending upon locale, to one of several other days, including March 1, March 25, Easter, September 1, and December 25. Beginning in 1582, the adoptions of the Gregorian calendar and changes to the Old Style and New Style dates meant the various local dates for New Year's Day changed to using one fixed date, January 1.

The widespread official adoption of the Gregorian calendar and marking January 1 as the beginning of a new year is almost global now. Regional or local use of other calendars continues, along with the cultural and religious practices that accompany them. (New Year - Wikipedia)

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Just a thought:

My intention is not to dampen your mood; I am just trying to understand the New Year Eve from another perspective.

Celebrating the calendar year is popular all over the world. I wonder how different is the first of January from any other day on the calendar when everything around us remains more or less the same? So also, our persona, relations, jobs, niggling issues, mental conflicts…everything else remain as they were in the previous year ending on the 31st December. Then how is the excitement on the 1st January justified? Is it really about new hopes or aspirations, or are these celebrations a part of some nefarious commercial scheme to entice people to let their hair down and blow up their hard earned money?

We celebrate the New Year eve even when we know that there is nothing new about it; every calendar year begins with some dreams and aspirations, and it ends with some satisfaction and too much of dissatisfaction for most people! I can't understand the logic, the brouhaha and the enthusiasm behind celebrating the New Year eve, year after year, unmindful of our personal losses or gains.

The New Year begins as per one’s own belief or convenience. While the calendar year begins on the 1st of January with celebrations, the fiscal year begins on the 1st of April with a lot of hard work that entails the closing of accounts! Ugadi/ Yugadi/ Gudipadwa/ Puthandu/ Baisakhi/ Bihu/ Vishu/ Cheti Chand….herald the New Year for the different communities of Hindus, on different days, in the months March and April; basically, these festivals symbolize the end of winter and the beginning of the pleasant spring. It also coincides with the Rabi crop harvest in India; thus it is simply a time to celebrate our abundance! The Gujaratis being primarily into trade consider Diwali as the New Year, which is when they close old account books and after the Laxmi pujan, they open the new account books; again it is a celebration of the financial gains of the previous year! We also have many religious beliefs that coax us to celebrate these days. The Chinese New Year is again a Spring festival. Thus these festivals do make some sense and justify celebrations!

I think the celebrations on the New Year eve would make more sense if it changed us either externally or internally. Wouldn’t it have made sense if it helped us shed our old skin and get a new one (wrinkle free or acne free), shed some weight, shed our old persona, get a little healthier or even become wiser? Just imagine how exciting it would be if we magically undergo a process of renewal and become our improved selves on the New Year eve! I think such transformations would justify our excitement regarding the New Year eve. Unfortunately, no such miracles happen on the1st of January. Most of us remain the same with our unrealistic New Year resolutions which are meant to be broken or be allowed to die a natural death and sadly, those failed resolutions return to haunt us in the last week of December!

Instead, wouldn’t it make more sense if we consider celebrating the New Year whenever we overcome an old undesirable habit, pick up a new skill or a positive attitude? As that is when the real new beginnings begin and justify our excitement!

Your opinions, please.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The GIF has been taken from the Wikipedia page for representation only.
Click to expand...

GeetaKashyap said: ↑

New Year is the time of day at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one.

Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner[1] and the 1st day of January is often marked as a national holiday.

In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system today, New Year occurs on January 1 (New Year's Day). This was also the case both in the Roman calendar (at least after about 713 BC) and in the Julian calendar that succeeded it.

Other calendars have been used historically in different parts of the world; some calendars count years numerically, while others do not.

During the Middle Ages in western Europe, while the Julian calendar was still in use, authorities moved New Year's Day, depending upon locale, to one of several other days, including March 1, March 25, Easter, September 1, and December 25. Beginning in 1582, the adoptions of the Gregorian calendar and changes to the Old Style and New Style dates meant the various local dates for New Year's Day changed to using one fixed date, January 1.

The widespread official adoption of the Gregorian calendar and marking January 1 as the beginning of a new year is almost global now. Regional or local use of other calendars continues, along with the cultural and religious practices that accompany them. (New Year - Wikipedia)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Just a thought:

My intention is not to dampen your mood; I am just trying to understand the New Year Eve from another perspective.

Celebrating the calendar year is popular all over the world. I wonder how different is the first of January from any other day on the calendar when everything around us remains more or less the same? So also, our persona, relations, jobs, niggling issues, mental conflicts…everything else remain as they were in the previous year ending on the 31st December. Then how is the excitement on the 1st January justified? Is it really about new hopes or aspirations, or are these celebrations a part of some nefarious commercial scheme to entice people to let their hair down and blow up their hard earned money?

We celebrate the New Year eve even when we know that there is nothing new about it; every calendar year begins with some dreams and aspirations, and it ends with some satisfaction and too much of dissatisfaction for most people! I can't understand the logic, the brouhaha and the enthusiasm behind celebrating the New Year eve, year after year, unmindful of our personal losses or gains.

The New Year begins as per one’s own belief or convenience. While the calendar year begins on the 1st of January with celebrations, the fiscal year begins on the 1st of April with a lot of hard work that entails the closing of accounts! Ugadi/ Yugadi/ Gudipadwa/ Puthandu/ Baisakhi/ Bihu/ Vishu/ Cheti Chand….herald the New Year for the different communities of Hindus, on different days, in the months March and April; basically, these festivals symbolize the end of winter and the beginning of the pleasant spring. It also coincides with the Rabi crop harvest in India; thus it is simply a time to celebrate our abundance! The Gujaratis being primarily into trade consider Diwali as the New Year, which is when they close old account books and after the Laxmi pujan, they open the new account books; again it is a celebration of the financial gains of the previous year! We also have many religious beliefs that coax us to celebrate these days. The Chinese New Year is again a Spring festival. Thus these festivals do make some sense and justify celebrations!

I think the celebrations on the New Year eve would make more sense if it changed us either externally or internally. Wouldn’t it have made sense if it helped us shed our old skin and get a new one (wrinkle free or acne free), shed some weight, shed our old persona, get a little healthier or even become wiser? Just imagine how exciting it would be if we magically undergo a process of renewal and become our improved selves on the New Year eve! I think such transformations would justify our excitement regarding the New Year eve. Unfortunately, no such miracles happen on the1st of January. Most of us remain the same with our unrealistic New Year resolutions which are meant to be broken or be allowed to die a natural death and sadly, those failed resolutions return to haunt us in the last week of December!

Instead, wouldn’t it make more sense if we consider celebrating the New Year whenever we overcome an old undesirable habit, pick up a new skill or a positive attitude? As that is when the real new beginnings begin and justify our excitement!

Your opinions, please.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The GIF has been taken from the Wikipedia page for representation only.
Click to expand...

Interesting perspective ! The new year eve celebrations in many parts do go overboard, especially when it takes place in a crowd or huge gatherings. However, to my mind celebrating New years eve is more to bring in the New Year exactly at the particular hour i.e at the stroke of midnight when the New day and consequently New Year actually begins. There is a lot of positivity built into it in the form of New hope and good will towards all by sending out Wishes to everyone. Heres Wishing you and all at IL a very happy and fulfilling New year.

joylokhi, Jan 1, 2019

joylokhi, Jan 1, 2019

#11

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Jan 1, 2019 #12

Viswamitra Finest Post Winner

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Dear Geeta,

I wish you and yours a wonderful new year 2019. This greeting is not intended to emphasize the need for new year celebration. I truly had a hearty laugh reading Satchi's response to you.

Everyday is the beginning of the rest of our lives. Sankalpa is something you develop over a period of time with will and good thought when we understand our purpose. Resolutions made by peripheral tool like mind need to be empowered with enormous energy with the support of our consciousness. Any resolution towards right living will succeed only when we are determined to promote it rather than expecting the world to fall in place in order to fulfill the resolution.

You have started the year with a great thought and I wish you a very engaging year 2019.

Viswamitra, Jan 1, 2019

Viswamitra, Jan 1, 2019

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Jan 1, 2019 #13

Tamrakshar Platinum IL'ite

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Definitely, nothing changes in our daily life, oh oh hold on, I thought the gas prices have been shed by a big margin, and the govt employees are assured of an increase in the DA, but yes apart from that it means nothing to me. Nowadays, this day gives a license to young people to indulge in excessive drinking, partying and aur sare mauj masti. Even our driver and cook took a leave for partying.

As far as taking resolution is concerned, only the weak people wait for New Year day to begin their mission.

By the way, Happy New Year!

Tamrakshar, Jan 1, 2019

Tamrakshar, Jan 1, 2019

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Jan 2, 2019 #14

kkrish IL Hall of Fame

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Hey Geeta @GeetaKashyap
What is this.. .you are making my brain work, early morning on New Year's Day with serious questions?!
I had just resolved not to think at all, just to give my brain a lot of rest in 2019! Ha one resolution broken already!

New Year resolutions have been serious business, not commercialized at all, since about 4000 years ago when Babylonians took a wow in frontbofvtheir Gods to retun objects and get out of debts.

Also for the Romans Janus was the God that they invoked before starting anything, similar to our prayers to Vinayaka.
Hence they started the New Year with January named after Janus, which also represented out with the old and in with the new.
The Romans also made promises to Janus in January.

Yes, we can start a change any time of the year, no one is going to object.
We also make resolutions after certain incidents or certain experiences.

I love making New Year resolutions because it is lot of fun.
More so because the life of these resolutions is the shortest and therefore no pressure at all.
See below for confirmation.

So my New Year resolution is this:

Pictures taken from the internet. No affiliation to any

kkrish, Jan 2, 2019

kkrish, Jan 2, 2019

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Jan 2, 2019 #15

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Dear Geeta,

Like Kamala @kkrish says you had us our thinking cap on first thing in the morning, especially after all that partying! Just kidding; only about the partying part though. We had a quiet start as well. I am not a resolution person, in fact you ask me to do something and I end up doing exactly the opposite. So resolutions and I don't go hand in hand. Despite that, I do kind of New Year's eve immensely, more so because it seems like a universal festival and dawns at a point and like on cue, as each part of the world wakes up or strikes midnight, there is celebration. How amazing that is! When some part of the world is done and ready to sleep, another part is picking it up - it is like a celebration chain reaction and no agenda attached to it - religion, culture, custom what not! anything that universal, I will take it!

Happy New Year to you and your family!

Last edited: Jan 2, 2019

Srama, Jan 2, 2019

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Jan 2, 2019 #16

Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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If in some way, forwards of Happy New Year can be stopped from landing in my email inbox or whatsapp, I am listening. : )

Finally, all forms of new year celebration effectively mark a date in the earth's journey around the sun. Chinese, Hindus, Muslims, Jewish, Parsees etc. celebrate their religious new year and the January 1 new year. Christians celebrate only the January 1. Along similar lines, some people celebrate two 'birthdays' or like we called it when young - my home birthday is on ... and my school birthday is on ... When filling up form for class X or XII exam, teacher used to remind us to enter "school" birthday. Some of my FB friends get wishes on two days on their page.

Rihana, Jan 2, 2019

Rihana, Jan 2, 2019

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Jan 2, 2019 #17

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joylokhi said: ↑

However, to my mind celebrating New years eve is more to bring in the New Year exactly at the particular hour i.e at the stroke of midnight when the New day and consequently New Year actually begins. There is a lot of positivity built into it in the form of New hope and good will towards all by sending out Wishes to everyone.
Click to expand...

Dear @joylokhi,
That is so true. The spirit of the day prompts all of us to make it a priority to greet our near and dear ones. My thoughts were around its continued relevance and my mind fantasized some magical rejuvenation or a deeper significance.

Have a happy and prosperous New Year!

Last edited: Jan 2, 2019

GeetaKashyap, Jan 2, 2019

GeetaKashyap, Jan 2, 2019

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Viswamitra said: ↑

Everyday is the beginning of the rest of our lives. Sankalpa is something you develop over a period of time with will and good thought when we understand our purpose. Resolutions made by peripheral tool like mind need to be empowered with enormous energy with the support of our consciousness. Any resolution towards right living will succeed only when we are determined to promote it rather than expecting the world to fall in place in order to fulfill the resolution.
Click to expand...

@Viswamitra Sir,

Well said. On 31st December, when I had gone out, I witnessed the festive spirit around; youngsters zipping around on bikes without silencers, the young women heading to party venues in flowy multilayered dresses along with their formally dressed partners and many single and married middle-aged men making a beeline in front of the spirit shops (to buy the festive spirits)! This prompted me to look for the real significance behind the hype.

Have a great year ahead!

Last edited: Jan 2, 2019

GeetaKashyap, Jan 2, 2019

GeetaKashyap, Jan 2, 2019

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Jan 2, 2019 #19

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Tamrakshar said: ↑

Definitely, nothing changes in our daily life, oh oh hold on, I thought the gas prices have been shed by a big margin, and the govt employees are assured of an increase in the DA, but yes apart from that it means nothing to me. Nowadays, this day gives a license to young people to indulge in excessive drinking, partying and aur sare mauj masti. Even our driver and cook took a leave for partying.

As far as taking resolution is concerned, only the weak people wait for New Year day to begin their mission.

By the way, Happy New Year!
Click to expand...

@Tamrakshar,

I agree that a common man continues to live through yet another year with basic aspirations. I fantasize a magic cocoon or a chamber through which we could pass through on the New Year eve and emerge renewed physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually! Well, it remains just a khayali pulao!

Have a fulfilling creative year ahead!

GeetaKashyap, Jan 2, 2019

GeetaKashyap, Jan 2, 2019

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Jan 2, 2019 #20

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Hey geets
Lovely write up.... I don't understand why we need to wait for a new year to become a better person.
Resolutions can be made anytime and followed.... Why wait for a new year to turn a new leaf... . This time my daughter asked me, mumma we have closed our doors and windows and still we hear people shouting outside, why are they doing like that. .. Why are they saying happy new year and everyone is looking so happy, are they acting mumma.. ... Well for few seconds I was speechless, not knowing what to reply to her.... I replied to her, every one is different and people have their own way of celebrating things, to which she told that's OK mumma but our celebrations should not disturb others.... Maybe she is right, I agree with her.

nandinimithun, Jan 2, 2019

nandinimithun, Jan 2, 2019

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