| "Happy New Year!" Everyone will greet
each other with these words as they meet each other over the next couple of
weeks. But it wasn't always January 1 that marked the new year. At least 4,000 years ago the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians marked the changing of the year. In Egypt, the year started when the Nile River flooded, enriching (使肥沃) farmers' fields with silt (淤泥). This happened at the end of September. The Babylonians held a festival in the spring, on March 23, to kick off the next fanning cycle. The Babylonian celebration lasted for 11 days. The date January 1 was picked by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar as the change of the year when he established his own calendar in 46 BC. The month of January' was named after the Roman god, Janus. He is pictured with two heads. One head looks forward and the other back. They represent a break between the old and new. The new calendar was in time with the sun and it has been used until the present day. Around the world, different cultures have their own traditions for welcoming the new year. The Japanese hang straw rope across the front of their houses to keep out evil spirits and bring happiness and good luck. They also have a good laugh as the year begins to get things started on a lucky note. |