Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1867-01-17
THE NEW YEAR.

| HFather, SAID little boy, one evening
during the ''children's hour" why does
the year begin in the middle of the winter?
should think whoever had the arrange
ment of the months would have begun Tia,
year in the spring, when everything seems
new
The division of time into sections Or
periods, has occupied the attention of wise
men for many ages. The study O. the
stars aud their motions by the old astrono-
mers, although not productive of the same
results as in our time, where a knowledge
of the laws of gravltation, the form, shape,
and motion of the earth, and the worlds
on worlds revealed by the telescope, was
enough to show them that changes were
regular, and that the seasons occurred
somewhat as certain stars appeared in GER
tain locations. It would seem as if spring
had been considered by others as the most
proper time to commence the year, for we
are told that the Egyptians, Chaldeans,
Persians, Syrians, Phenicians, Carthage
mans, and some others of the most enligh-
tened of ancient nations, commenced their
year the I'D of March. The Greeks,
however, for a long time commenced their
year the 22d of December, but afterwards
changed it to June %. There was also
much trouble to decide Of how many days
the year should consist, and how these
days should be divided. Some thought
it should be divided by the changes of the
moon, but it was found that if either
twelve or thirteen moons made the year,
the seasons would, after while, occur in
the wrong time Nor was this trouble
overcome until the time of Julius Caesar,
previous to which $50 days were account
ed as Il year. Before the reign of Numa
Pompilius, which occurred about 700 years
b. e.. the year was divided into ten
months only; he added January and Feb
ruary, the former named from the Roman
god Janus or Danus, who was believed to
preside over the beginning of everything.
He was first worshipped during the reign
of Romulus; at the dawn of every day
prayers were said to him. and on the be-
ginning Of every year cakes and wine were
offered him in sacrifice. Our present GUS
toms of presenting refreshments on New
Years day is probably remnant Of this
superstitious ceremony, one OF great ma
ny that have come to us from the olden
time, and are to be found oftener than is
generally supposed, adnixed with many of
our religious and social customs.
Janus is represented in mythology as
being double faced; hence it was consider
ed proper to have him represented by the
first day Of the year, which may be said to
look back into the past and forward to the
future During the reign of Julius Caesar
the occurrence Of the seasons from what
they had once been, had changed so that
winter occurred in hot weather and spring
was in autumn Assisted by the most re-
II owned astronomers of that time, he set
himself about correcting the matter, and it
was finally decided that the year should
consist Of 365 days, & hours, 10 minutes,
and that this division should be called the
Julian year He ordered that to provide
for the part of Il day that one should be adj
d to each fourth year. Still, different
nations commenced the year at different
times; but about the beginning of the
eighteenth century the Latin Christian ma
tons adopted the LIST of January for the
J NEW i CIV VI INV Alot VA
March; but for long time, in order to
avoid confusion of dates, it was customary
from Ist January to lst March to write
both years, and this custom to some ex-
tent has existed in the present century, as
may be seen in many public records thus,
1867 This change was made in Eng
land from March 20, only as late as 1852.
These changes serve i'll degree to account
for many things that seem otherwise un-
explainable As, for instance, Christmas,
or the birth of Jesus, was by the Council
appointed to decide the question, after
hearing the conflicting statements and ex-
aiming the different records presented to
them, concluded to have been on the 25th
of December This event must have oc-
CURED in Il different season than their pre-
sent December, but the discrepancy is
easily understood by the explanations
above f"