Sunday, 1 January 2017

Hello 2017, here's a little more about New Year's Eve's history


Ok here we are at part two, have you ever wondered why we start the new year off the way we do, I am not talking about the special traditions and such but why the start of a new year is important at all. Think about it New Year Celebrations are not just something held in some countries but held in most countries, the end of one year and the start of another is a big deal and has been pretty much for as long as we have had calendars telling us when one year ends and another starts.
I think it must have something to do with the fact that we have survived for another year, because way back when many people didn't survive the year, especially children once a pond a time children didn't necessary survive a year and many women died in childbirth. So we celebrate making it through another year and make resolutions to do things better in the new year may date back to when people believed that the gods controlled so many things and they needed to say and do things to make the various gods happy. Or maybe I am wrong but it makes as much sense as anything, and let's be honest none of us are old enough to really know we make guesses about things in history based on writings we find and stories passed down through the generations.
Did you know that in some countries such as Canada, the Untied States, the Netherlands and parts of the United Kingdom oh and Australia it is quiet common for some people to organised cold-water plunges often called a Polar Bear Plunge or an Ice Plunge to raise money for charity of course in Australia it takes place in winter since the New Year is usually pretty damn hot if not bloody stinking hot. For thousands of years, New Year's has been a festival of rebirth, reflection and survival allowing people all over the world to celebrate another year.
Want to know about the New Year's Eve song, “Auld Lang Syne,” is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year. At least partially written by Robert Burns in the 1700’s, it was first published in 1796 after Burns’ death. Early variations of the song were sung prior to 1700 and inspired Burns to produce the modern rendition. An old Scottish tune, “Auld Lang Syne” literally means “old long ago,” or simply, “the good old days.”
Of course for many of us nothing really changes when the calendar goes from one year to another the only thing that changes is the number of the year, that said it doesn't stop most of us celebrating and wishing all a Happy New Year, so I am wishing all my blog friends a Happy and Safe New Year and hope 2017 is all they want it to be.





7 comments:

  1. Yes I know about those plunges - When my husband was in the coast guard, he plunged in, when up at the North Pole. He said, it was COLD!

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    1. Yeah the water at the North Pole would be bloody cold, did he see Santa while there

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  2. I love the song Auld Lang Syne. Now I know what it means. Happy new year!

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  3. I have done the Polar Bear plunge with a bunch of friends. We are a few bricks short of a load.

    Happy New Year and God bless!

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  4. Yes, here in the Midwest U.S there is always a few charities and do plunges into icy lakes. I would rather take a beating that be dipped into ice water.

    Happy New Year. I hope something special happens this year for you other than it just being another year.

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Thursday's Hodgepodge

 Thursday's post can be found here:  https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2024/11/is-this-brown-hodgepodge.html