“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” Psalms 95:6 (KJV)
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY
new Year’s Eve is on December 31, the last day of the year. There are a lot of mixed feelings on this day — it gives us the opportunity to reflect on the past year with all its highs and lows, but we also get ready to party our way into the New Year. Here’s to a new day, new year, and new beginnings!
New Year’s Eve on December 31 marks the final day of what is known as a Gregorian calendar year. Prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar as the global standard, most of the ancient world ran on many different and diverse calendaring systems to track the passage of time.
The Gregorian calendar we use today was introduced by the Vatican in Rome under Pope Gregory XIII in October 1582. The Gregorian calendar is based on the solar year and replaced an ancient Roman calendar that was based on the lunar cycle of the earth’s moon. The Gregorian calendar is a modified version of the Julian calendar that was introduced by Roman Emperor Julius Caesar during his reign around 44 B.C., at the suggestion of Greek astronomer and mathematician Sosigenes of Alexandria.
The transition from a lunar cycle calendar to a solar year calendar on October 4, 1582, necessitated that a few days be eliminated. The day after October 4, 1582, was therefore declared by Pope Gregory to be October 15, 1582. Don’t ask us what happened to all the poor souls whose birthdays were on October 5 to 14.
Along with the implementation of a new calendar on October 4, 1582, the pope also decreed that each year would officially begin on January 1 instead of April 1 as had been the custom under the old lunar calendar system. This decision had no actual astronomical basis and was influenced by the ancient feast celebrating the Roman god Janus, the god of doorways and beginnings. The first of January seemed like a good starting-over point on a new calendar.
New Year’s Eve is widely celebrated by everyone who follows the Gregorian calendar, but not all people ring in the new year the same way or, in some cases, even on the same day.
on New Year’s Eve, you either breathe a sigh of relief that the year is over or marvel at how it went by in a flash. There are many ways in which people spend this day. Some people stay in and view New Year’s Eve fireworks on their television screens, while others head out and party the night away or enjoy the grand celebrations. Whichever side you are on, one thing is for sure — there is excitement in the air. There are some annual traditions that everyone is especially enthusiastic about, such as the grand celebration and Ball Drop at Times Square in New York, which officially heralds the New Year. And some traditions around the world are believed to bring luck in the New Year, such as toasting a glass of champagne at midnight or eating 365 black-eyed peas for good luck on the first day of the New Year.
Help Us Enter the New Year
God of all time, help us enter the New Year quietly,
thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others,
mindful that our steps make an impact
and our words carry power.
May we walk gently.
May we speak only after we have listened well.
Creator of all life,
help us enter the New Year reverently,
aware that you have endowed
every creature and plant, every person and habitat
with beauty and purpose.
May we regard the world with tenderness.
May we honor rather than destroy.
Lower of all souls,
help us enter the New Year joyfully,
willing to laugh and dance and dream,
remembering our many gifts with thanks
and looking forward to blessings yet to come.
May we welcome your lavish love.
In this new year, may the grace and peace of Christ bless us now and in the days ahead.
