Evening star., 1935-12-29
By Mary Jane Moore.

you Will owe your rev
wv Year celebration to 10 days
which disappeared from
recorded time just as if they never
existed. without this miraculous bit
Of juggling, during which segment
Of eternity was erased from the calen-
dar, the tumultuous greeting to 1885
would be mildly ridiculous for the rea-
son, Of course. that it would be only
December al
When did these 10 days disappear?
On two occasions. actually. The
first time they were discarded vas in
1882, when several countries Of Europe
swore allegiance to q new calendar,
the creation Of Pope Gregory VII,
which found the world some 10 days
behind itself owing to errors in pre-
vious calculations Of time.
In order to make their acceptance
Of the new deal effective, citizens Of
these countries were called upon to
sacrifice the days from October S to
Il, inclusive. In other words, they
surrendered 10 days Of existence: at
least technically. It was essential to
have October IS follow October by
just one day, and. bravely, millions suf-
fered it to be 50.
The second occasion. and the one
which really makes the American New
Year celebration come at the right
time, occurred in 1852. It was then
that England decided to cease holding
out against the Gregorian calendar.
It climbed aboard the bandwagon by
discarding-"suppressing" is the gen.
orally used term-the period from Sep
tember to September l3.
It was quite confusing, naturally.
Social calendars went sadly awry, va
cations we're shortened or heightened
babies were IL days old when they had
lived only two days, but it all had to
De II there was to be any nationality in
the noise and merry-making Of this
New Year eve.
VET while the New Year which will
appear at midnight Tuesday. and
which this time bears the serial num-
Der 1886, actually Is only some $50
celebrations old, man has been OBJ
serving some similar occasion ever
since he perceived that time brought
changes in the world in which he lived
The spirit, II not the technique, OF
the celebration has been much the
same as that which now will influence
him to 60 out with Joy in his heart
and return with confetti in his hair.
The ancient Egyptians, and the Per-
slams, their neighbors in space as well
as time, marked the same significant
change in times ever-fowing tide on
the equivalent Of our September ~, the
Autumnal equinox. The Greeks, also
taking their cue from the location OF
the sun, waited three months later to
stage their historically vivid revels al
the time Of the Winter solstice, Decem-
ber 81.
The early Jews, indicating that one
equinox was as good as another for q
New Year celebration, staged theirs
coincidentally with the vernai equinox
in March. With modern transportation
at his disposal, the ancient could have
made life a comparative round Of New
Year eve celebrations!
In medieval times Europe followed
the Jewish custom with a slight modi.
fication. The mobility Of the equinox
seeming to impart an element Of in.
stability. March 25-our March IS
that is-was chosen as the New Yeal
occasion. It had q quality Of con-
stancy that was somewhat lacking ir
the equinox just preceding it.
With whatever degree Of fear and
trembling he looks upon his own. mar
greets Times birthday with a spirit ot
enthusiastic joy. Moreover. he always
has. The passing Of one year and thc
arrival OF another is one Of those
touches Of Nature that always has
made the whole world kin and which
results. in family party that is little
short Of colossal.
It is q thfowback over centuries
q recreation of the mood that beset
the forefathers cons ago when they
too, met the new year with an op.
timistic feeling that it would brin.
them-and all mankind ethins
richer than ever they had known. Tn.
bewitching spell Of the new and un'
tried has always been the same anc
the coming Of another year consti.
tutes its perfect symbol. Those diarist,
of mans progress, the historians. may
disagree on many points, but not or
this one.
IT MAY not be particularly hatter'
ing to the modern sense Of enlight.
enment and sophistication, but thu
fact remains that our present cere'
monials Of reception to the new yea'
bear close resemblance TO those o
the ancients. As matter Of coit
record the widest Of current New
Year eve parties could be taken In hi
stride by many q long-dead Roman
or Greek.
Whatever they may have lacked II
the way of modern conveniences, thes'
primitive pagans wrote indelibly int
the record that they were vivid cele
brants. Whatever the occasion which
they set out to make q memorable
one for its revelry. they succeeded
Even at this late date those scholar
who scan the record Of man to pro
duce new history texts get more thai
one good shudder out Of the Nev
Year ''orgies" staged by the Greek
and Romans. Similarly unrestrainet
rites and ceremonies to-day wouit
bring out the police reserves, but, Will
connendahle toresight, og otharWaSe