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New Year’s Day, on the other hand, simply marks the beginning of another year on our calendar; it doesn’t commemorate any specific event in the Bible. However, in the Old Testament God’s people did celebrate the beginning of what they saw as a new year (although not on Jan. 1). Above all, if New Year’s is to be a “Christian holiday” — or, at least, a secular holiday that we can redeem for the purposes of Christian formation and witness — then it must start with Was New Year’s Eve actually a Christian holiday? In Israel, they call New Year’s Eve ‘Sylvester,’ after the pope-turned-saint. Should Americans also recognize the Christian connection to Dec. 31? If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: The real new year begins in springtime, not on January 1st. In this comprehensive article, we’ll dive deep into the evidence from the Bible and Jewish tradition to understand when the true new year begins from a scriptural perspective. This day is traditionally a religious feast, but since the 1900s has also become an occasion to celebrate the night of 31 December—New Year's Eve—with parties, public celebrations (often involving fireworks shows) and other traditions focused on the impending arrival of midnight and the new year. Are New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations that God approves of? Since God set the first month of the year on the sacred calendar to begin in what we call March or April, obviously it is not God’s new year ( Exodus 12:2 ; Deuteronomy 16:1 ). While the start of the liturgical calendar is the first Sunday of Advent, January 1 remains a popular global holiday for celebrating the new year. (It has Christian origins, too, since the Is New Year's Day a religious holiday? While New Year's Eve is mainly considered a secular celebration, it has religious origins and meanings in some cultures, notably in Christianity where 1 January is also the feast of the Circumcision of Jesus. New Year's Day is traditionally a religious feast, but since the 1900s has also become an occasion to celebrate the night of December 31, called New Year's Eve (also known as Hogmanay in Scotland). As part of this celebration, fireworks are set off at midnight, the moment the new year arrives. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system today, New Year occurs on January 1 (New Year's Day, preceded by New Year's Eve). This was also the first day of the year in the original Julian calendar and the Roman calendar (after 153 BC). [2] Other cultures observe their traditional or religious New Year's Day according to Many Christian traditions are steeped in cultural practices and events, one of which being New Year’s celebrations. In some cultures, specifically those with heavy European influence, New Year’s Day was known as the Feast of Circumcision, named after Jesus’ circumcision on this day according to Jewish law. December has just one federal holiday: Christmas Day. This is the only federal holiday with any religious affiliation and therefore has been contentious. In years when January 1st (New Year's Day) is on a Saturday, the holiday is observed on the preceding day (December 31st). As a result, December 2021 will have two federal holidays. New Year's Day 2024: Federal Holiday-362: Jan 6 - Sat: Epiphany 2024: Christian-357: Jan 7 - Sun: Orthodox Christmas Day 2024: Orthodox-356: Jan 14 - Sun: Orthodox New Year 2024: Orthodox-349: Jan 14 - Sun: Makar Sankranti 2024: Hindu-349: Jan 15 - Mon: Martin Luther King Day 2024: Federal Holiday-348: Jan 25 - Thurs: Tu B'Shevat 2024: Jewish (So it’s not surprising that Christmas Day also served as New Year’s in some Christian societies.) Now, I’m perfectly fine that a pluralistic society refrain from using a single religion’s holy day to commence the new year. It’s hard enough as it is to be non-Christian in a country that treats December 25th as a federal holiday. In addition to culinary cultural traditions, New Year’s Eve Watch Night services symbolize a sacred hour of Black history: Dec. 31, 1882, the night before the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. According to Capital B News, That 1882 New Year’s Eve, many enslaved Black people across the South gathered in anticipation of freedom. The New Year celebrations take place four days after Diwali. Neo-pagans observe their perception of Samhain (a ceremony of the ancient Celts which is observed on November 1st) as their New Year’s Day. Variable . The Islamic New Year, also referred to as Hijri New Year, takes place on Muharram based on the Islamic calendar. The Islamic Is New Year's Day a Statutory Holiday in Canada? New Year's Day is the truly public holiday globally, always celebrated with fireworks at midnight as the new year begins. Most businesses stay closed on this day, which is open, offering only restricted services. This day is a statutory holiday in all provinces and territories of Canada. 3. Celebrate the New Year “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). This is the Psalmist’s exhortation for every day, not just New Year’s Day; not only on good days, when we anticipate the company of friends and a great meal, perhaps music and dancing. The New Year’s Eve Ball descends from a pole above Times Square in New York City at 11:59 PM on New Year’s Eve. The New Year’s Eve Ball was first used to mark the new year in Times Square in 1907, though the practice of “dropping” balls to signal the passage of time is an older one. It is considered one of the most important holidays in Japanese culture, second only to Jan. 1, known as Shōgatsu or Japanese New Year's Day. Celebrating the close of the old year and ushering in the new one, Japanese people host bōnenkai parties, intended to help forget about the past year, write cards to friends and family, and send gifts.
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