By Michael Collins, Teravana
The holiday season approaches fast and gathers momentum. With all of the attention on family, gifts, and dinners (all great things), by the time New Year’s Eve and Day come around, we can be worn out, like we don’t know what we are celebrating. Many of us put emphasis on bettering ourselves and coming up with a list of resolutions.
Before going through the motions again this year, let’s look closer at this holiday. All versions of how we define a year have roots in astronomy. Dating back as far as 10,000 BC, people have always looked to the universe to discover our place within it. Based on 12 cycles of the moon, the lunar calendar worked then and still exists worldwide. But the Gregorian solar calendar is the modern version, based on Earth’s time to complete one orbit around the Sun. These two forms of measuring time work remarkably similarly, but the lunar year is a slightly shorter year: 354 days (History.com).
A similar version to the Gregorian calendar we use today was adopted in 46 BC at the time of Julius Caesar when 60 days were added. Julius Caeser instituted the first of January as the beginning of the new year. January is named for Janus, the Roman god of beginnings. Janus had two faces that allowed him to look back into the past and forward into the future (History.com). Why not be like Janus this new year and have two faces: one looking back and one looking forward?
As is often the case, Native Americans can teach a lot on this one. The early tribes used a variety of different calendars, many of which had to do with the moon or seasons (Eastern Trail.org). Regardless of the calendar, New Year is one of the best celebrations of the year for many Native American Tribes. Compared to our modern take, Native Americans have had a much more collective definition of the New Year. It is common for tribes to celebrate a bountiful return in the year ahead, honoring some of the earliest foods: salmon, deer, and buffalo. The New Year celebrations can last many days or weeks, marked by traditional dance and communal meals.
An article from NPR quotes an elder from a tribe in eastern Oregon: “When our elders pass on and go back to the ground, this is how they come back to take care of us, in these foods.” In this way, the new year, sacred food, and our ancestors share a connection.
We can still have a list of resolutions, but our ancestors may be waiting for us in the coming year, ensuring our health and success.
REFERENCES
King, Anna. For Some Tribes, New Year’s Foods Provide A Sacred Link To The Past. The Salt. NPR.org. 2012. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/01/01/144012425/for-some-tribes-new-years-foods-provide-a-sacred-link-to-the-past
The Julian calendar takes effect for the first time on New Year’s Day. History.com. 2023.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/new-years-day
Why Native Americans Named the Moons. Easter Trail.org.
