New Year signals renewal after break from activities

Welcoming the New Year has become a global phenomenon marked in different ways. Some greet the event with spectacular fireworks beginning in Australia and Asia and spreading westward across Africa, Antarctica and Europe to end with North and South America. While some gather in their thousands to party in city squares and promenades with song, dance and drink, others congregate for prayer and divine worship.

Perhaps there is no extravaganza on earth to beat New Year celebrations in terms of popularity and the intensity of excitement and thrill.

Many cultures have evolved their calendars to mark New Year. Some of the best known include the Chinese, Hebrew (Jewish), Christian and Islamic varieties. While some calendars are based on the regularity of the seasons, others trace their origin to religious beliefs or historical events.

The Chinese calendar is grounded on 12 zodiac animals beginning with the rat while the pig brings up the rear. In this arrangement, 2023 finds us near the end of the year of the tiger, known for its courage, nobility and power. On 22 January, the Chinese year of the rabbit will begin.

This creature, the fourth in the zodiac, is famed for being elegant, clever and agile. A remarkable trait of the Chinese calendar is that it celebrates nature by connecting positive animal qualities with human attributes and activity.

The Hebrew calendar can be traced back to the 9th century before the Christian or Common Era (BCE). It counts years since the time the Jewish people believe God created the world. Following this reckoning, the Hebrew year 5783 began on 25th September 2022.

In the Islamic calendar, the great event was the migration or Hijra of the Prophet Mohammed to Madina. According to this calculation, the faithful are currently in the year 1444 After Hijra (AH).

One of the best known homegrown calendars in Africa is the Igbo pattern from Nigeria. As one reads in Chinua Achebe’s classic “Things Fall Apart”, the reckoning of time is in terms of market days in which four are equivalent to a week. Seven weeks constitute a month and a year is made up of 13 months.

There are other ancient calendars including that of the Aztecs of Mexico and of the Inca Empire covering a huge portion of the western side of South America from Ecuador to Chile, along the Andes Mountains. These two calendars are based on very accurate observations of the movement of the heavenly bodies, especially the moon.

Many countries follow their calendars alongside the Gregorian model in whose reckoning the year 2022 has just ended. This version was established by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 as a modification of the calendar promulgated by Julius Caesar around 45 BCE.

The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used for governance, civil and trade purposes. Some cultures and churches insist on the Julian template. Among these are the Eastern Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox and the Coptic Church of Egypt.

Having taken a break from ordinary activity during Christmas, the New Year signals a renaissance or fresh start. But for the Orthodox and Coptic Christians, the Nativity or Birth of the Saviour is celebrated on January 6.

Besides the thrill of welcoming the New Year, these festivities provide an occasion for taking stock of the year ended. For many people, it is a time for summoning fresh energy in order to plan and prepare to face the challenges the coming period will throw at them.

A happy 2023 to you!

Fr Njoroge serves in St Augustine Parish in Juja and is a professor of Development Studies and Ethics at JKUATWelcoming the New Year has become a global phenomenon marked in different ways. Some greet the event with spectacular fireworks beginning in Australia and Asia and spreading westward across Africa, Antarctica and Europe to end with North and South America. While some gather in their thousands to party in city squares and promenades with song, dance and drink, others congregate for prayer and divine worship.

Perhaps there is no extravaganza on earth to beat New Year celebrations in terms of popularity and the intensity of excitement and thrill.

Many cultures have evolved their calendars to mark New Year. Some of the best known include the Chinese, Hebrew (Jewish), Christian and Islamic varieties. While some calendars are based on the regularity of the seasons, others trace their origin to religious beliefs or historical events.

The Chinese calendar is grounded on 12 zodiac animals beginning with the rat while the pig brings up the rear. In this arrangement, 2023 finds us near the end of the year of the tiger, known for its courage, nobility and power. On 22 January, the Chinese year of the rabbit will begin.

This creature, the fourth in the zodiac, is famed for being elegant, clever and agile. A remarkable trait of the Chinese calendar is that it celebrates nature by connecting positive animal qualities with human attributes and activity.

The Hebrew calendar can be traced back to the 9th century before the Christian or Common Era (BCE). It counts years since the time the Jewish people believe God created the world. Following this reckoning, the Hebrew year 5783 began on 25th September 2022.

In the Islamic calendar, the great event was the migration or Hijra of the Prophet Mohammed to Madina. According to this calculation, the faithful are currently in the year 1444 After Hijra (AH).

One of the best known homegrown calendars in Africa is the Igbo pattern from Nigeria. As one reads in Chinua Achebe’s classic “Things Fall Apart”, the reckoning of time is in terms of market days in which four are equivalent to a week. Seven weeks constitute a month and a year is made up of 13 months.

There are other ancient calendars including that of the Aztecs of Mexico and of the Inca Empire covering a huge portion of the western side of South America from Ecuador to Chile, along the Andes Mountains. These two calendars are based on very accurate observations of the movement of the heavenly bodies, especially the moon.

Many countries follow their calendars alongside the Gregorian model in whose reckoning the year 2022 has just ended. This version was established by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 as a modification of the calendar promulgated by Julius Caesar around 45 BCE.

The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used for governance, civil and trade purposes. Some cultures and churches insist on the Julian template. Among these are the Eastern Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox and the Coptic Church of Egypt.

Having taken a break from ordinary activity during Christmas, the New Year signals a renaissance or fresh start. But for the Orthodox and Coptic Christians, the Nativity or Birth of the Saviour is celebrated on January 6.

Besides the thrill of welcoming the New Year, these festivities provide an occasion for taking stock of the year ended. For many people, it is a time for summoning fresh energy in order to plan and prepare to face the challenges the coming period will throw at them.

A happy 2023 to you!

Fr Njoroge serves in St Augustine Parish in Juja and is a professor of Development Studies and Ethics at JKUAT