Recollections: Auld Lang Syne
Once again the old Johnstown Church was the scene of New Year’s revelry by the Bonisteel clan joined by neighbours and friends bringing in 2008 in grand, and traditional style.Good food, sparkling toasts, quizzes, games and especially noise is de riguer on the third concession. Whistles, horns and cow-bells followed by a raucous chorus of Auld Lang Syne at the stroke of midnight has become traditional here.
New Year’s Eve has always meant noise anywhere in the world. Early European farmers thought that evil spirits that had damaged crops during the year could by banished by the blowing of horns, ringing bells and beating on drums at the year’s beginning. In China the forces of light, the Yang, took on the forces of darkness, the Yin, by setting off firecrackers. When the 17th century Dutch brought their riotous celebrations to North American they were met by the Iroquois Indians who celebrated by ripping up used clothing, smashing furnishings and dumping unused corn into great bonfires to signify the start of a new life and a new year.
Another tradition of the season that we all tend to observe is the making of New Year’s resolutions. This dates back to the early Babylonians. Whereas today we might make a resolution to lose some weight or to quit smoking the most popular promise by the Babylonians was to return borrowed farm equipment.
During the Middle Ages the church was very hostile to celebrating what it considered a pagan festival and the practice almost vanished. When it did emerge it showed up at various times of the year. From the 11th to the 13th centuries the British observed New Year’s on March 25, the French on Easter Sunday and the Italians on Christmas Day and later on Dec. 15. It is just within the last 400 years that it has become a Jan. 1 celebration.
Some cultures believed that luck could be affected by what was done or even what was eaten on the first day of the year. For this reason that day was spent with family and friends eating and drinking together with no chance of outside influences. It was believed that the first visitor on New Year’s day would bring either good or bad luck for the rest of the year. A red-haired person was bad luck. It would be particularly lucky if the first person over your threshold was a tall dark-haired man.
The idea of using a baby to symbolize New Year’s started in ancient Greece around 600 B.C. At the Festival of Dionysus, god of wine, it was customary to parade an infant cradled in a winnowing basket. It represented the rebirth of that God as the spirit of fertility. Today the New Years baby is celebrated and special gifts are awarded to those born first in the year. The year past is symbolized as an old man.
At the Bonisteel soiree this year we had everything. We sang happy birthday to my 92-year-old brother-in-law….we wished happy wedding anniversary to my daughter Lesley and husband Brian…..we congratulated Kassia and Cory on their year-end engagement….and on New Year’s Day we welcomed 9-pound Abigail, born to grand-daughter Lauren and proud father Mark.
This time it seems we covered all the bases. We have ushered in the New Year in proper fashion guaranteeing a wonderful 2008 for all. And, we shall most likely do it all over again next year.
Except for Lauren of course.