The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1921-01-14
THE WORLD
SEVEN NEW YEARS.

The American IS apt to regard his
New Year as THE New Year. Had
he penchant for celebrating holt
days he could travel in a more or less
leisurely way around the world. and
in the course Of the year could par
tlcIpate in six or seven New Year
festivities, adding couple of Christ
mas celebrations for good measure"
according to bulletin from the
Washington. D. c.. headquarters of
the National Geographic Society.
Our American might start his
progressive holiday jaunt by going 10
some western European country for
the New Year which the United
States just celebrated. He could
then travel to Greece, Jugo-Slavia.
Rumania, or Bulgaria in time for the
Christmas in those countries. Christ
mas is also December % in the coun-
tries named. according to their calen-
dars. but CORES ponds to January in
/ America
- iNI44eAii4 d week III the same
country he could also spend New
Years Day, called January !, but
CORES ponding with the American and
western European January Il. By
pushing on and making good conrec-
Ions he might be able to reach S.I-
g, pore, or by experimenting steam
- with airplanes could reach China
self to take part in the most thor
cughgo New Year celebration IN
me world, the Chinese New Year
which will be observed in 1921 for the
nHe days from about February 5 to
g.
After the Chinese New Year ce..-
bTation the traveller could pursue his
| holiday hunting less strenuousle for
Z while He could arrange to arr e
IN Siam in time for the Siamese New
Year on April /, and atterward ,ui
/ have five months of sightseeing be
tHe reaching Arabia for the NOLAN
nedan New Year on September !. He
could then cross the Red Sea and
- axe quick journey into AbySsin.e
g take part in the New Year fest,
+ I eS of that country on : ptembe a.
/ returning to the Red Sea and takin"
teamer north he could easily rclch
J 'rusalem in good time Tor The r.
f'ew New Year October 2
"The holiday hunter H5d'l now
have taken part in all the PRINCIPAL
New Year celebrations of the world
and could return to the Western
hemisphere to spend the Chintn'.s
with which he is most faml'iqr at his
own hearth side In six day, less
than year he would have chalka.'
up seven New Year and tw2 C',rist-
mas celebrations to his cred
"The worlds multiplicity Of New
Year Days and Christmasriic. is cue
to the fact that our calendar Is large
ly an arbitrary device The earth re-
wolves around the sun in 365 PEP
days, which makes the true vear
very odd measure of Tine. AID II is
almost as difficult to choose n logtal
beginning for the year as it is to find
the starting point of circle Differ
ent peoples have selected different
starting points and have also assum-
ed the year to be of slightly differ
ent lengths. This has not only re-
suited in the years beginning at diff
ferent times but has also caused the
times of beginning to vary in their
relations to one another from year to
year. II is as though a clock had half
dozen or more hands all moving
around the dial from different start
ing points, at different speeds.
"The most logical starting points
for the year would seem to be sum-
mer and winter solstices and the
spring and autumnal equinoxes:
and all of them have been made to
mark the beginning of the years in
some parts of the world. The Greg
orian calendar. that is now in use in
the United States and throughout
most of the Christian world. is the
Julian calendar slightly modified.
When Julius Caesar caused it to be
constructed, the beginning of the
year January /, was placed : days
after the winter solstice. and not in
conjunction with it as logic would
seem to dictate. The Julian year was
made, by means of the leap year de-
vice. $685. days long. which was an
excess over the true year of II min
utes and IA seconds. This excess
caused the nominal January to
creep gradually farther and farther
beyond the winter solstice so that BY
the time of the Church Council of
Nice in 325 it was eleven days be-
yond the solstice instead of seven.