Tuesday, December 31, 2013

New Year's Celebrations Around the World

Happy New Year!


There will be no post, Wednesday, January 1, 2014. Happy New Year’s!!!

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The Library will CLOSE Early, Tuesday, December 31, at 5:00 pm, New Year's Eve. and CLOSED January 1st, New Year's Day. We will reopen on the 2nd at 9 a.m.

There will be no Children's Programming until January 4th.


Computer Classes every Sat. mornings 10-12. "Open House" Whatever you need. Drop in anytime during those two hours.

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Check out our new blog on movies and music at: RPL's Movies and Music by Robert Finch
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Times Square

Genealogy tip for today: New Year’s celebrations

New Year’s Day is different from country to country, especially when countries use different calendars. We wanted to share with you the customs and dates as they vary. Instead of rewriting all the information we found, we are sharing with you this article, instead. This is an article from Yahoo describing how various countries do the Big Do:

Many countries celebrate New Year’s Day at different times of the calendar year. The definition of New Years is the custom of celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of another. It marks the closing and the start of a measurement of daily time in a period of one rotation of the earth around the sun.
A calendar year for modern day time, in the western world, was first started by the Romans in 713 BC. However, they used a ten month rotation. The first official start date was moved to January 1 in 153 BC. Julius Caesar (*then) moved the calendar to 12 full months in 53 BC. It was called the Julian calendar
The oldest known measurement of a calendar year was by the Mayans.
The custom of New Years is different to different nations and even religions. The Christian Liturgical or Ecclesiastical Calendar starts with Advent. It is a cycle of dates that even has movable dates like Easter for church celebrations. It starts four Sundays before Christmas. It is kept separate from the governmental Calendar.
The Eastern Orthodox Church starts their Civil New Years on January 14th. Their Liturgical calendar begins on September 1.
The Chinese New Year is also referred to as the Lunar New Year. It can start anywhere between January 21 and February 21. It depends on when the first new moon of the month begins during the first lunar month. It is astronomically defined. Each Chinese year is symbolized by one of twelve animals and one of the five elements. These combinations cycle once every 60 years. The twelve animals are the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and the Pig. The five elements are rotated every two years with the addition of yin and yang. The five elements are wood, fire, water, metal, and earth.
The Iranian New Year begins with the vernal equinox (spring). In 2007, it was on March 20th. The Assyrian New Year begins on April 1. The Punjabi begins on April 13th. The Thai and Cambodian begin their New Years between April 13th and 15th.
The Islamic New Year is somewhat confusing. It is based on 12 lunar months. The start date is about 11 days earlier each year. In 2008, they will have two New Years with the 12 month Gregorian calendar.
The Gregorian calendar is our actual modern day Calendar that is commonly accepted. It is an improvement over the Julian calendar. It was named after Pope Gregory the 13th. It was started in 1582. It used the initials of AD and CE. CE stands for Christian Era and AD stands for the Annunciation of the birth of Jesus to Mary. (*And BC for Before Christ…)
In the modern Western World, it took quite some time to get one particular start day of a Calendar year. It took from 1522 to 1752 for the date of January 1st to be recognized as the official date for New Years.
There are many different customs with the start of the New Year. Many regard it as a Holy Day for different religions. However, in almost every country and nation, it is a day of celebration. People party and happily look at the exchange of years.
In America, one of the largest celebrations is in Times Square in New York. Preparations begin months in advance for this event. It is broadcast over radio and television live. A countdown begins as the ball makes it descent to mark the beginning of a New Year. The ball has been lowered every year since 1907 with the exception of two years during World War II. A new ball will be used this year.


*ed.


“History – it’s who we are; Genealogy – it’s who I am” sg



If any of these posts are helpful drop us a line in the comments section below. We just want to know if the information we provide to you is beneficial in anyway.





December 31
1775

George Washington orders recruiting officers to accept free blacks into the army.
1852

The richest year of the gold rush ends with $81.3 million in gold produced.
1862

Union General William Rosecrans' army repels two Confederate attacks at the Battle of Murfreesboro (Stone's River).
1910

John B. Moisant and Arch Hoxsey, two of America's foremost aviators, die in separate plane crashes.
1911

Helene Dutrieu wins the Femina aviation cup in Etampes. She sets a distance record for women at 158 miles.
1915

The Germans torpedo the British liner Persia without any warning killing 335 passengers.
1923

The Sahara is crossed by an automobile for the first time.
1930

Brewery heir Adolphus Busch Orthwein is kidnapped. (Died, November, 2013, age 96)
1941

General MacArthur reports that U.S. lines in Manila have been pushed back by the Japanese.
1942

After five months of battle, Emperor Hirohito allows the Japanese commanders at Guadalcanal to retreat.
1944

Hungary declares war on Germany.
1965

California becomes the largest state in population.
1977

Cambodia breaks relations with Vietnam.
1720

Charles Edward Stuart, grandson of James II, known as the Young Pretender and Bonnie Prince Charlie.
1815

George Gordon Meade, Union general who defeated Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg.
1869

Henri Matisse, French artist.
1889

George Catlett Marshall, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army during World War II, Secretary of State under Truman, won Nobel Peace Prize for the Marshall Plan.
1908

Simon Wiesenthal, survivor of the Nazi Holocaust who dedicated his life to tracking down former Nazis.


jilt

PRONUNCIATION:
(jilt)

MEANING:
verb tr.: To end a relationship suddenly or callously.
noun: A person, especially a woman, who discards a lover.

ETYMOLOGY:
Of uncertain origin, perhaps from the name Gillian (or Jillian/Jill). Earliest documented use: 1660.

USAGE:
"Even so, it is unlikely, analysts said, that China would jilt Khartoum for Juba [capital of South Sudan] -- that would probably alarm other repressive and corrupt regimes, such as those in Angola and Equatorial Guinea, where China has forged highly profitable oil relationships."
Sudarsan Raghavan & Andrew Higgins; China Caught Between Two Sudans; The Washington Post; Mar 24, 2012.
Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. -Carl Sandburg, poet (1878-1967)



Today’s Recipe
Holiday Cooking


Martha has a sparkly idea for jazzing up your drink for the party.




ENJOY!

Now You Know!

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