Count down to the New Year has begun, and with it the feeling of renewal and rebirth. We look back on the events and achievements of the past year and look forward to what the New Year holds for us. As the strains of 'Auld Lang Syne' waft through the air on New Year's eve, there is that all-permeating sense of excitement and expectation. The stroke of midnight would usher in the the much awaited and much hyped new year. From then on its 'Happy New Year' right until the first few weeks of the new year are underway.

This year's gonna be different, right?
The last week of the year is a time for introspection and and above all, a time to make new resolutions for the coming year. And so we take stock and plan new courses of action to better our lives. This is one of the most popular customs and the key to the meaning of New Year resolutions. After all, the feeling of guilt for breaking all resolutions of the previous year has still not left us, especially the guilt of eating your own weight in chocolates!

Who invented New Year resolutions anyway?
While modern day resolutions may include the promise to lose weight or quit smoking, stop drinking or start exercising, you'll never guess what the popular resolution was in Babylonian times - a promise to return borrowed farm equipment! Now that's sweet, isn't it? And guess what? Resolutions are a reflection of the Babylonians' belief that what a person does on the first day of the New Year will have an effect throughout the entire year. Think about that at the New Year's party!

Resolution or Dissolution?
"Confidence" is the key to keeping New Year’s Resolutions. A survey conducted by a doctoral candidate found that people who thought about their resolutions for some time were more successful than those who came up with them at the last minute. Like after the New Year’s Eve party. People are more willing to do something they know is right than to give up something they know is wrong.

But hey, breaking resolutions too, are as old as the Babylonians themselves. So if you break yours, do it with pride, and continue the tradition a la Babylonia!

The oldest holiday
New Year is the oldest holiday in the history of civilization. Over 4000 years ago, the Babylonians celebrated New Year's Day, although their new year was in March to coincide with the first day of spring. The Romans too celebrated New Year sometime in March, but later changed it to January 1 as the Roman calendar was being tampered with by almost every emperor. During the middle ages, the Church was initially opposed to any kind of New Year's celebrations as it was a pagan practice, but relented about 400 years ago.

Customs & Tradition
People in Moslem societies, celebrate the new year by wearing new clothes. Southeast Asians release birds and turtles to assure themselves of good luck in the twelve months ahead. Jewish people consider the day holy, and hold a religious ceremony at a meal with special foods. Hindus of India keep idols of gods next to their beds, so they can see beautiful objects at the start of the new year. Japanese prepare rice cakes at a social event the week before the new year.

The tradition of using a baby to signify the New Year started in Greece around 600 BC. It was their tradition at that time to celebrate their god of wine, Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket, representing the annual rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility. Early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth.

Although the early Christians denounced the practice as pagan, the popularity of the baby as a symbol of rebirth forced the Church to re-evaluate its position. The Church finally allowed its members to celebrate the new year with a baby, which was to symbolize the birth of the baby Jesus.

The use of an image of a baby with a New Years banner as a symbolic representation of the new year was brought to America by the Germans.

Luck in the New Year
Traditionally, it was believed that what you did or ate on the first day of the year would affect your luck during the rest of the year. That's the reason why folks celebrate the first few minutes of the new year in the company of family and friends. It was also considered good luck if the first visitor in the new year was a tall, dark-haired man.

As for lucky foods, it was believed that anything in the shape of a ring was lucky as it symbolized 'coming full circle'. Hence the Dutch eat donuts on New Year's day. Black-eyed beans are also considered lucky in many cultures. Cabbage leaves, a sign of prosperity and symbolic of paper currency, is also a lucky New Year's day food. In some countries, rice is considered lucky.

Tips for Keeping Your New Year's Resolutions
Most of us have no clue as to how to go about making resolutions, which is why we break them. We set high goals for ourselves and wonder why we cannot achieve them. If you want to keep your resolutions, try one or two - do not run off a list of 50 resolutions. You'll never be able to do it. The next step would be to plan how to go about it. Nothing works without a plan of action. Once your plan is in place, stick it up on the fridge, or on the mirror, or on your desk - generally, in as many places as you can, to serve as a constant reminder. It just might work this year.

• Make only one or two resolutions.
• Choose resolutions that you've been thinking about for some time
• Choose to adopt a new good behavior rather than trying to shake off an ingrained bad habit
• Choose realistic goals, that you feel confident you can meet
• If you don't succeed, determine the barriers that blocked you and try again
  

Good Luck and Happy New Year!

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