The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-12-31
ZION To CELEBRATE
NEW YEARS ADVENT
High Cost Of Living Has Put
Time Limit on Ancient
Custom.
MANY WATCH PARTIES
Reception Committee of 10O,-
600 Salt Lakers to We'll
come 1914.
MANY WATCH PARTIES

come 1914.
Tonight all Salt Lake will celebrate
the four thousand, nine hundred and
fourteenth anniversary of New Year s
eve. There probably have been more
shan 49l1 New Yenr S days, but no
one recalls that they celebrated the
event prior 10 that time. The number
may not be quite accurate because there
has been some calendar Juggling by Ro-
man empcrors and Roman prelates dur
ing the last 1000 years, but tho NUM-
Der is approximately correct, and even
the oldest citizen can t remember the
exact number.
Some 5000 years before the Christian
era Young man who ran a restaurant
in Babylon conceived the idea of hav-
ing a cabaret show and watch party
on New Year's eve. The plan worked
so well that the watch party was kept
up for weeks ut the commencement of
each year, but with the high cost of
living the celebration vas liuted TO
one night.
In Babylon the celebration was called
Zakmuk-probably because that was
easier 10 say at the height Of the cele-
bration than New Year day. The
celebration was in honor of Bel Nero.
dach, the sun god. the pronouncing of
whose name was the ancient test Of So
briefly.
Ye Olden Days.
To celebrate New Year s day became
so popular that the Jews soon adopted
it and called 1t the Purim feast.
Then the Greek and the Roman cafe
proprictors saw the possibilities of the
jubilee, and in Athens they called it
Cronos, and in Rome Saturnalia, while
the dry goods clerks of the ancient or
dered wine till the pay envelope looked
sick.
For many centuries it was the Gus
tom to give presents on New Years |
eve, but after Christmas became well
established the public shopped earlier
and gave their presents week sooner |
The. Chinese for many centuries have
celebrated New Years eve noisily for
two or three weeks at stretch. and |
some orientalists contend that the Chi |
ncse New Years celebration is older |
than the Babylonian. In any event, |
there were probably many years before |
the celebrations started, but their COM
ing and going was marked only by the
unusual influx Of bills which the primi-
tive citizen received from the primor-
dial bill collector
Since the institution of New Years |
eve and the repentance of New Years |
day was first established, the celebra-
tlons have been either spiritual or spirit |
nous. There has been no halfway sta |
ton. The glad New Year has either |
been christened with wine or greeted |
with prayer and fasting. There have |
always been watch parties in churches |
and in cafes.
Ye Ancient Precedent.
There is always more or less excite
ment on New Years eve, caused no
doulbt, by wondering whether or not |
the new year will really come. This
lends zest to the watch parties, and |
when the clock strikes IL and the whis.
ties blow each watcher feels a sort Of |
personal responsibility for the arrival
of the young year There is no record |
of watch party ever having been dis
arrived on time, This has happened so
often that one feels almost safe in
predicting that shortly after 10 clock |
tonight the year 1914 will arrive. If it
doesn't it will violate nearly 5000 prec-
edents that we know of.
Nevertheless, Salt Lakers are not
going TO let things go by default and
reception committee OF nearly 100000
will welcome the New Year. The iol- |
lIer ones of the committee will assem-
BILE al reserved tables at the various
cafes and clubs, but not a few will at
tend the churches and wait there for
the youngster. At the churches lie will
DC greeted with hymns and at the clubs
and cafes with song and laughter. He
will be welcome everywhere.
Ye Cabarets.
Special programmes have been pre-
pared at all of the cafes and clubs.
The cabarets will be at their best with
augmented talent to amnse the merry
makers while they wait. The street
cars Will work half an hour overtime
so that the froickers may have the more
time to celebrate The last cars will
not leave Main street until :35 clock
tomorrow morning, except on a few of
the lines where the service will close at
:Q5.
The Elks have made elaborate prep
aratione for their animal New Years
eve dinner and dance. Hundreds of
reservations have been made, and il is
expected that the clubrooms will be
crowded all evening. Jolly watch par.
ties are also planned by the Alta and
University clubs. The tango and other
steps will be permitted at the New
Year s eve ball TO be given at the Ma
.lcstic pavilion.
Church watch services will be held
al the Emmanuel Baptist, the Bethel
Baptist, the Tiff Methodist, the First
Methodist, the Liberty Park Methodist,
the First PRESBYTERIAN, the Swedish
Evangelical and the Swedish Lutheran
church.
On New Years day the Commercial
club will hold open house from noon to
midnight. A special musical programme
Will be given.