Here’s the Beav, ringing in 2017, with a bit of revelry and fanfare.
But, why do we celebrate the new year on January 1st? Here are some other more likely candidates:
— Winter Solstice (Dec 22) the shortest day of the year, when the days begin getting longer and longer (note: this is when the Greeks celebrated the new year).
— Summer Solstice (June 22) the longest day of the year, when the days begin getting shorter and shorter (note: this is when the Greeks would have celebrated if Greece was located in the Southern Hemisphere).
— Equinox (March 20 or Sept 23), when the day and the night are equal length (note: the French Republican Calendar celebrated on the September equinox).
— September 28, the birthday of Beav the Beaver. HEY, THIS ONE HAS GOT MY VOTE!!!!!
Unfortunately, Julius Caesar did not know about the Beav, so the Romans chose the Feast of Janus (their god of doorways and beginnings) to begin the new year. In addition, January is named after Janus and (although I’m loath to admit it) probably sounds better than Beaveruary.
Why we sing Auld Lang Syne on New Years Eve:
Auld Lang Syne with translation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPnhaGWBnys
(Note: if this doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, then you might be impenetrable.)
Bag Pipes Auld Lang Syne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to1xT93IlUI
