by Joshua Gryniewicz

A New Dawn Rises 
copyright (c) 2002 by Josh Gryniewicz

A new dawn rises upon us – a golden day ripe with the promise of adventure, of magic, and of wealth ...  but most of all, filled simply with promise itself. It is a new dawn felt the world over and, though its placement on the calendar may vary, the promise of possibilities, the release from antiquated ways of being and the celebration of transition have a universal human quality that links throughout cultures and across the span of history. This is a celebration akin to the symbol of the Salamander reborn in flame, and the Phoenix emerging anew from ashes. For most Americans, however, this perspective often fades before our first hangovers; we pop our first Aspirin of the New Year and slowly give to the grind of old routine. 

            In the hopes of keeping the promise of possibility alive, Happy Feet Productions -- an interactive folk art “museum” of dance, craft, story and culture, begins the New Year, with a new monthly column, Mythic Heritage, which proposes for us both, writer & reader alike, a journey. Together, we will travel past the inundation of health club commercials, the how – to – self – help – in – less – than – thirty – days – with – great – looking – abs industry and other superficial jaunts into self improvement to the very concept of renunciation, rebirth and resolution. Happy Feet holds the belief that by exploring cultural traditions, rituals and stories we can gain a better appreciation of ourselves, our community and the world. To grant a stronger understanding of the significance of the New Year, we begin with the origins and traditions of the New Year itself, and make suggestions for how to review your own origins in making a resolve we can commit to. 

            New Year is the oldest observed holiday; initially, it was celebrated on the Vernal Equinox, the first day of spring – it can be traced back some 4,000 years ago to the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians. At this time the calendar placement of the holiday fell into synch with the environment – it was a time of new growth and new crops; everything underwent a seasonal rebirth with a full floral vibrancy as everything was in bloom. The Nile flooded the lands around Egypt enriching the soil for the next year’s crops. In Babylon the king set the festivities in motion stripping of his robes and leaving the city for a few days, (I’m not sure if he actually left naked or not); the celebration lasted eleven days total – each day marked with its own party theme. These events culminated in the return of the king, dressed in his sharpest threads, who lead an extraordinary parade that would prove the final hurrah before going back to routine.

            It was the Roman Empire who decided to mix things up a bit and arbitrarily choose a date with no astronomical or agricultural significance to mark the start of the calendar year. Archeologists' debate that this may also be the period in history where the first home gym was invented and, subsequently, the first infomercial. They made up for it with the name of the month, however, January – is named for the god, Janus, depicted with two faces. One peers back looking into the past, the other forward in the future – representing a symbolic break from the old and a celebratory welcome of the new.

            The Babylonians believed that whatever was done at the start of the New Year would set into momentum the precedent for the year as a whole, this is most likely what gave rise to the tradition of setting resolutions. Though in Babylon most resolutions centered on returning borrowed farm equipment.

            Greece established the symbolic use of the baby to represent the New Year, in honor of Dionysus, god of wine and fertility – a tradition that was brought to the United States by German immigrants and is still used today. 

            The tradition of using noisemakers and fireworks to note the celebration may be Asian in origin, to chase away bad spirits and welcome good fortune. The Japanese, for example, spend weeks preparing for the New Year celebrations and forgetting year parties are held to let go of the past. The year is rung in by the chime of a bell sounded 108 times to chase away evil spirits, cards are also sent out in advance to offer and ask forgiveness for misunderstandings of the past. In Vietnam, Tet Nguyen Day or Tet, is an opportunity to show respect to the gods that leave in each home, and to make peace with the dead who wander the earth in a three-day ceremony. Similarly, the Chinese New Year involves showing respect to a single god who lives in each home, while using fireworks to drive away bad luck spirits. Gifts are given out and a lavish costume parade welcomes the new calendar cycle. Birds and turtles are released in Southeast Asia to assure themselves good luck in the twelve months ahead. In India, Hindu’s leave shrines beside their beds, so that they can wake up to beautiful objects on the first of the year.  

            The theme of looking back to the past and forward to the future, of setting the precedent of rebirth and growth is articulated in a variety of fashions throughout the world – but, how can we bring them into the present? How can we use the metaphor implicit in these traditions for ourselves?

            A good place to start is a review of our own past in the form of a gratitude list – beginning with the accentuated highlights of the last year, and working backward listing those things for which you are most thankful. Most likely, you will achieve a variation of this in the form of nostalgic ramblings and reminiscent anecdotes anyway. But, things have a tendency of being more significant when they are written down. By listing those things, which you are grateful for over the past year and throughout your entire life, you have the capability of changing your perception and creating a binding contract with yourself to appreciate things more in the year to come. Overall, choosing to better appreciate life is probably one of the best resolutions that you can make – and a starting point for everything else.

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