The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-29
THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.

The New Year of the Gregorian Cal
endar falls very OPPORTUNITY just after
Christmas. 1t sets convenient limit of
seven days to the festivities in honor of
the chimney saint which might other
wise stretch on until they died natural
death. 1t marks definite time for send.
ing the children back to school and
opening the yearly bills, and let's us
down easily from the high holiday at
mosphere into the level of ordinary days.
The Jews have no such comfortable
arrangement, but began their new year
about the middle of September, that is,
the first day of the Jewish month Tishri.
The day is observed as a solamn feast,
since the rabbis teach that God then
opened the books containing the names
of all mankind, and settles their fate for
the coming year. Tishri, however, is
not the first month in the Jewish calen-
dar, but the seventh and it's first day is
observed as New Years because at that
time the harvest is over and the natural
year reaches maturity.
The Japanese celebrate January l, as
we do, but add to it as many more days
as they think necessary for beginning
another year in proper style. They are
greater callers than even the Gothamite
of twenty years ago. for, instead of stop
ping when midnight ushers in January
2, they must keep on until they have
paid each person of their social circle a
New Years visit. Intimate friends are
received with great ceremony and elabo-
rately entertained, while mere acquaint-
ance simply exchange cards.
The Chinese keep New Years on Janu-
airy 30. 1t is their chief holiday and
they celebrate with flowers and feasting.
Weeks before the old year is out they
begin forcing their lilies for decoration.
and making ready the queer dishes Of
their holiday menu. These preparations
afford striking instance of the incon-
gruities of the Celestials taste, for he
dresses his home not only with fragrant
lilies, but with tawdry artificial flowers,
and puts these last in the most sacred
place of all, before the shrine of his
household Joss. How the impecunious
heather manages to enjoy his New
Year at all is hard to understand, since
at that time he must pay all his debts
and start with clean score. When all
other ways of getting money fail, he goes
to the lottery, and the joss house is
crowded on New Years eve with devotees
praying for lucky drawing.
The Persians observes several New
Years days. This statement is simpliied
by the additional fact that the celebra-
lions are in honor of the different foreign
religious elements in the population of
Teheran, including Jews, Armenians,
Greeks, Roman Catholics, Protestant
and Mohammedans. The Persians are
among the most polite of nations; on
each of these holidays the Shah sends
high official to pay visit to the lega-
tions which observe the day. The Per-
slams own national New Year falls in
March, and comedies very happily with
the natural spring. Festivities last for
ten days and include some curious cere-
monies with an origin as ancient as 1900
years before the birth of Mohammed.
Where does the year begin? By com
mon consent among civilized peoples,
the meridian just opposite that of Green
wich is chosen for the honor. The only
land through which it passesis Chatham
Island, which lies off the west of New
Zealand. in the South Pacific. The for
tunate inhabitant of this bit of earth
gets his day brand new, and has the
satisfaction of drawing up his New Years
resolutions at least few hours in ad-
vance of the rest of the world.