| Show New Years Year's Traditions are Dee Deep Deet t Rooted Within the Past Centuries 1 I In cartoonists' cartoonists lore midnight on an December 31 will signal the departure of a bearded old genn genI gentleman gen gen- I carrying a scythe and hourglass and the appearance ola ofa ol or ora a chubby Infant wearing a diaper marked 1957 The personifications of or Father Time and the New Year Babe Dabe are areas areas as familiar as those thole of Santa Banta Claus or Uncle Sam Yet these thele fitting symbols for the end of one cycle of or living and the birth of another have roots in Greek mythology my my- Father Time survives as a descendant descendant descendant de de- of the Greek god lord of the universe the National Geographic Society says bore the lines of or Inestimable years fears on his hili face tace and he carried a a. scythe cythe Father of Zeus Zeu Like many of mythology's earthly gods godl was not Dot altogether altogether al al- al together admirable Having been warned that one of his children would depose him got la In lathe Inthe lathe the habit of ot swallowing each at birth Ills Ilia wife Rhea jibes naturally y to discourage the practice She hid their son Ion Zeus after his hll birth and presented with witha a stone wrapped in is swaddling cloth clothe ea The trick worked dis die disgorged gorged not only the stone but the previous children Zeus dethroned hla his father tather settled on Mount Olympus Oly and ruled as chief god lad of or orthe the Greek pantheon Later name was wal confused con can fused with the word chronos meaning urns time Put lint the hourglass hour glass has hal found a permanent place in the hand baud of the white halted gentleman wi the scythe cythe 1 I The ancient Roman Identified Saturn be he god culture with his Greek counterpart Saturn carried a scythe vU h. h Pagan Rome celebrated Satur nails nalla a solstice ceremony ceremony of th the years year's turning from December 17 to 23 In many ways the festival resembled present-day present New Year celebrations All work stopped schools closed courts handed down no sentences revelers gamboled gamboled gamboled gam gam- in in- masquerade and gifts gUts such luch as waxes waxen fruits candles and dolls were exchanged Even today exchange of presents pre pro seats lingers on as one of the worlds world's oldest New Year customs The Roman noman word for luck good In jour gifts survives survives Frances France's popular lr expression expression expression ex ex- for New Year Day Origin of New Year Babe Babo The New Year Babe may be aa as old as Father tather Time During ancient ancient an an- clent Greece's festival of or Dio y r. sue BUS a baby was paraded as a sym symbol bot bol of or rebirth A chief ceremonial In iii the Mysteries feat teat the image of a child In more recent times farmers fanner of western Prussia sta staged d the tbt symbolic birth of or a child on harvest harvest barvest har bar vest fields field A German folk tolk song long of 01 the century depicts the Ne Net Year Babe Dabe in Its present form torm The widespread observance of ot January 1 a as a. the start of a new year stems item from ancient Rome It was wa the time when consuls consul and other officials took office Julius Caesar arbitrarily chose that date as the tho first nut day of ot the Rom Roman n year rear when he be adopted the Julian Calendar cal cal- |
