December 31, Day 54 of 4 more years:
New Year's Eve! Why not "old year's end?" The old year is quickly becoming history, that's why. Why do we celebrate this holiday? What is it for? Is it to party, to drink too much, eat too much, blow horns, shoot off fireworks, shoot off guns (please stop that one!), stay up late and kiss at midnight? Well, sure. All of the above have a history, and I decided to check out a few of the more common traditions.
Traditions of New Year's: How about the song "Auld Lang Syne?" I found it was an old Scottish ballad, and the words are just weird and forgettable. But the poet Robert Burns (yes, he was Scottish) published the words in 1796 with a few refinements of his own. The words "auld lang syne" translate to "old long since" and just mean "times gone by." Our American song leader, Guy Lombardo, was the hero here. He popularized the song and made it a New Year's tradition. In 1929, he played it in New York City with his band. Later it was played on the radio, and then television and "tada!" today it is on Youtube! So, when we hear that song, it is officially the new year.
Let's talk about good luck and prosperity in the New Year. Pagan traditions abound. Without a biblical foundation, people through the ages have tried to find a way to stay safe, become wealthy and protect themselves from evil. Here are some practices believed to be magical:
1. Eat black eyed peas or at least one - an American southern tradition, since black eyed peas cannot be grown where the weather is very cold. Thank goodness for importation!
2. Eat cabbage - theory is it looks like money
3. Can't find either of those, just eat rice - an Asian staple and the abundance is in the number of rice grains
4. Here is a unique one: a symbol of prosperity for the new year that the first person to walk into your home after the sounding of the new year is a tall, dark, handsome man! I'm looking for him!
5. Give a toast - why toast? In olden times, the wine was communally mixed, acidity was a problem in the fermentation, so a piece of burned toast was floated on the top to absorb the bad flavors. The last person to drink from the bottom of the bowl had to eat the toast! And the host or hostess had to take the first drink to be sure it wasn't poison! Glad that is over.
This post could go on and on. I'm really not about educating you concerning the holiday. I was just a little curious. Many of the traditions for New Year's are centered on being loud. Why? To frighten off the evil spirits. Like firecrackers, noise makers of all kinds, shot guns and singing loudly at midnight.
Some of the practices are funny, but I think it is sad that we still act like a pagan people in many respects. We have the best protection at our disposal every day, not just on New Year's Day. Let's rely on the One who really can keep us safe, provide us with prosperity in Him, and give us joy for the entire year of 2013! Happy New Year's Eve to all of you!
"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." 2 Corinthians 13:14
Pray:
Dear Father, please extend Your might hand of protection over your people today. Keep us all safe tonight from the dangers of the world. Protect us in 2013 as only You can and give us joy.
Amen
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