Ring out, wild bells – by Lord Alfred Tennyson
“Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.”
-Ring Out, Wild Bells
By Lord Alfred Tennyson
Lord Tennyson welcomes the New Year in his poem ‘Ring Out, Wild Bells’. He observes that the New Year marks the beginning of a fresh start and brings a season of joy and hope for a better life and a better world.
Decades have passed since the 19th-century poet wrote the poem, but our sentiments regarding the New Year remain the same. At the stroke of midnight on December 31st, every person around the world bids goodbye to the old year with its bittersweet memories and experiences.
As we gear up to bid farewell to 2024 and welcome 2025, let us understand the history, origin, importance and customs across the world of celebrating the New Year. Diving right into it, below are 10 lines about the New Year.
10 Lines about the New Year
- The earliest celebration of the New Year dates back to about 4000 years in the city of Babylon in Mesopotamia. It was celebrated on the first new moon day after the spring equinox in mid-March.
- They called it ‘Akitu’, meaning ‘barley’ because the barley crop was cut in spring in Mesopotamia. It was celebrated for 11 days, with different traditions on each day.
- The New Year commemorated the mythological victory of Marduk, the sky God, over Tiamat, the sea Goddess.
- In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII presented the Gregorian calendar, in which January 1st was declared the official beginning of a New Year. Until then, the earliest Roman calendar only had 10 months (from March to December). Later, in 46 BC, Julius Ceasar introduced the Julian calendar, which introduced January 1st as the New Year, though it was not widely accepted in Europe at that time.
- January 1st is also known as the Gregorian New Year. Though the world universally celebrates it as the New Year, some religions and cultures worldwide still use a lunar calendar to observe New Year’s Day.
- Some examples of different New Year days observed worldwide are Rosh Hashana, celebrated by Jews, and the Chinese New Year. Similarly, the various days celebrated by different states in India, such as Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Ugadi in Telangana and Baisakhi in Punjab, mark the rich cultural diversity of our country.
- Across different cultures, there are several strange and interesting traditions for celebrating the New Year. Still, one common aspect is that it is a day when people leave behind all that has been lost and done so far and start afresh, looking forward to better opportunities.
- The tradition of making resolutions to bring about positive change is observed across the globe.
- On New Year’s Eve, families and loved ones come together, enjoy special feasts, and spend time with each other as they wait for the clock to strike 12. They welcome the New Year and new beginnings with an exchange of gifts and good wishes.
- Christians around the world spend New Year’s Eve attending mass at their churches and praying for a better tomorrow until the New Year arrives.
A Short Essay on New Year
New Year’s Day marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, symbolising fresh opportunities, better prospects, and renewed hope. The earliest recorded New Year celebrations date back to 2000 BC during the Babylonian civilisation. The Babylonians observed the New Year on the first full moon after the spring equinox in mid-March. This period coincided with the barley harvest in Mesopotamia, leading to the festival being called ‘Akitu’, meaning ‘barley’ in Sumerian. Akitu was an 11-day festival which honoured the mythological victory of the sky god Marduk over the sea goddess Tiamat. Statues of deities were paraded through the city of Babylon, symbolising the cleansing of the world in preparation for a new spring and a new year.
Other ancient cultures also celebrated the New Year on different days. For instance, Persians and Egyptians marked it during the autumn equinox in September, while the Greeks observed it during the winter solstice in December. The earliest Roman calendar comprised only ten months, beginning with March and ending with December. In 700 BC, the second King of Rome, Numa Pompilius, added the months of January and February, dedicating January to Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings and transitions. Later, in 46 BC, Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar, officially designating 1st January as New Year’s Day. While this was accepted within the Roman community, other parts of Europe only adopted 1st January as the start of the year in 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII reformed the calendar, giving us the Gregorian calendar still used today.
Today, 1st January is celebrated as New Year’s Day worldwide, beginning with festivities on New Year’s Eve, 31st December. It is a time for families and friends to gather, enjoy feasts, exchange gifts, and share best wishes. Around the world, people embrace the day as a moment of new beginnings, celebrating in diverse ways reflective of their cultural traditions.
Many believe that one’s actions on the first day of the year set the tone for the rest of it. While for some, New Year’s Day is an occasion for joyous gatherings and parties, for others, it holds cultural or religious significance. For example, the Babylonians connected their New Year celebrations to the barley harvest and their mythology. In Islamic tradition, the year begins with the month of Muharram, while in ancient Egypt, the New Year coincided with the flooding of the Nile.
Even though the Gregorian calendar is widely recognised, many cultures and religions observe their own New Year’s Day. Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah in September or October, while the Chinese New Year falls in January or February. Tibetans mark their New Year in February, and similar celebrations occur in Persia, Japan, Ethiopia, Thailand, and other countries. Christians around the world attend New Year’s Eve masses, praying for a brighter future before joining feasts and celebrations. As the clock strikes midnight, people greet one another with wishes for happiness and prosperity in the year ahead.
Despite global celebrations on 1st January, India’s cultural diversity is reflected in various regional New Year observances. Tamil Nadu celebrates Tamil Puthandu, while Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka observe Ugadi. Baisakhi is celebrated in Punjab, Bohag Bihu in Assam and Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra.
New Year’s Day is an opportunity for reflection, resolutions, and fresh starts. It is a time to let go of the past, embrace positivity, and move forward with hope and anticipation. The day fosters unity as families and communities come together to celebrate, strengthen bonds, and create lasting memories.
Like any festival, New Year’s Day inspires kindness, compassion, and love. It encourages us to leave behind negativity and embrace the promises of a better future. As we step into 2025, let us ring in a year of kindness, peace, and joy. May it bring exciting adventures, personal growth, prosperity, and countless moments of laughter and happiness for all.
Happy New Year!
