New Year’s here and around the world

As we look forward to the advent of 2007, I invite readers to travel along with me in examining some New Year’s traditions that citizens of this world observe annually.

One New Year’s morning I woke up in New Zealand. Aussies and Kiwis are among the first on our planet to ring out the old year and bring in the new. January 1st sees many people picnicking and camping out on the beach while we freeze in Canada. New Years is also a day for rodeos, and surfing.

Heading North, we find India has already celebrated new year –Diwali – in late October, early November. While the annual ‘festival of lights’ is celebrated differently in the various districts of India, the Hindus of the north, ensure that every town and village shines and glows with thousands of lights. These little lights are found in temples, houses, along window ledges and along garden paths. These are used to drive out evil and replace it with goodness.

Muslims generally acknowledge the new year quietly – without the festive atmosphere of other celebrations. The Islamic New Year moves eleven days backwards through the seasons each year as Muslims have their own calendar based on the cycles of the moon. Muharram is the first month of the Muslim year - its first day is celebrated as New Year’s Day. The appearance of the new moon is recorded in the mosques and special prayers are said.

A Buddhist tradition from the Far East sees the New Year celebrated by people first washing their statues of Buddha with scented water. People also throw water over each other at New Year Festivals in hopes of a good rainy season and good crops. Another New Year custom celebrated in the Far East is to let their pets go free – the release is said to bring them good luck in the year to come.

In much of Russia, Santa is replaced with Grandfather Frost who dresses in blue and arrives on New Year's Eve with his bag of toys. Beware, Father Frost can punish any evil doer by freezing them.

In Poland meantime, New Year's Eve is known as St Sylvester's Eve – a name that, according to legend, arose from Pope Sylvester I. As the story goes, the Pope was supposed to have imprisoned a dragon called Leviathan who would escape on the first day of the year 1000, devour the land and the people, and set fire to the heavens.

One Canadian tradition is the New Year’s Levee I will continue my hosting of an annual Levee – this time at my home north of Port Dover. All are invited to drop by between 1:30 and 4 p.m. (SUNDAY JANUARY 7th) for cookies, good conversation, and hot apple cider.

I wish everyone well in your endeavours for 2007. All the best for the New Year.

Happy New Year!