<bgsound src="SCO-auldlang.mid"> Auld Lang Syne

From Our Web Home Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of Auld Lang Syne? For Auld Lang Syne my dear, for Auld Lang Syne. We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for Auld Lang Syne. Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of Auld Lang Syne? And here's a hand, my trusty friend, and give a hand of thine. We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for Auld Lang Syne. Click here to listen to an old Scottish harp version of Auld Lang Syne. Ring out, wild bells, to the sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light; The year is dying in the night; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow; The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. -- Alfred Tennyson from Ring Out, Wild Bells History of New Year's Day

The celebration of New Years, as we know it on January 1st, is only about four hundred years old. But, the celebration of the New Year is very old indeed. In ancient Babylon, roughly four thousand years ago, the celebration of spring began at the first new moon after the Vernal Equinox (March 25th). Spring was the time of rebirth, old became new, so it was the most logical time to begin a New Year. Their celebration for the New Year lasted for over a week. It was the Romans, who in 153 BC, first used January 1st as the start of the New Year instead of March 25's date for the Vernal Equinox. But, through the years different Roman emperors had tampered with the calendars and had taken them out of synch with the sun. So in 46 AD, Emperor Julius Cesar established the Julian Calendar and tried to make a new date for the New Year. Since January 1, 45 AD was a full moon - it was considered bad luck to change the date and the new calendar year began with January 1st. In order to do this the previous year had to last approximately 445 days bring the calendar and the sun into synchronization. With the accepted use of the Julian Calendar, January 1st remained the first day of the year, for Romans, but many others continued to use March 25, the Vernal Equinox, as the date for their New Year. Through medieval times the populace of the European areas continued using the Vernal Equinox since January 1st had not agricultural or seasonal importance. Finally, in 1582, Pope Gregory XII reinstituted the observation of New Year's Day as January 1st. Although, for the Church it was a date associated with pagan times, the date of January 1st remained as the New Year's Day.

New Year's Greeting from Various Countries: Scastny Novy Rok Gullukkig Niuw Jaar Bonne Annee Bliadhna mhath ur Prosit Neujahr L'Shannah Tovah Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit Buon Capodanno Godt Nyttår Manigong Bagong S Novim Feliz Ano ~Nuevo Holiday Topsights List - Click Here to Vote For Us Visit our other Holiday Pages: Sign Our Guestbook     View Our Guestbook Background courtesy of: Animated Graphics Courtesy of: New Years Homebutton© & Holiday Buttons© by Laurie **Please Do Not Take**