Resolutions and celebrations

I begin this month’s article by wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy 2024. I trust that I am like many of you who make New Year’s resolutions only to break them. In the past, I have resolved to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, and get more sleep. But rarely did these wellintentioned resolutions last more than a few days. So, this year, I am foregoing any resolutions. Instead, I have decided to educate myself on the origins of the practice of New Year’s resolutions and celebrations. Upon researching the subject, I found a publication called The Conversation U.S. This publication is part of a global group of news organizations founded in Australia in 2011 by a former newspaper editor, Andrew Jaspan. The U.S. version of The Conversation was launched in 2014.

According to The Conversation, historically, the first people to set New Year pledges were the ancient Babylonians some 4,000 years ago. These pledges later became known as resolutions. The Babylonians were also the first known people who celebrated the beginning of a new year. However, their celebration occurred when they planted their crops in February.

The Babylonians knew how to bring in the new year in style. Their New Year celebration was known as Akitu and lasted 12 days. During this festival, the people would plant their crops, pay honor to their king, and promise to pay their debts. They believed that if they kept their promises, the gods would look favorable upon them, and they would have an excellent new year.

As I look back at my life, I was 14 when I first began celebrating New Year’s Eve. My celebration each year would be typically going to a dance at Memorial Hall in Dorchester. The hall filled with dancers, and when midnight approached, the countdown to the new year began. And it was a tradition to kiss your dancing partner when the new year came in. That was the one tradition that I eagerly anticipated all year long.

I have never been one to watch television broadcasts on New Year’s Eve. Beginning in the 1940s, NBC began broadcasting news of New Year’s festivities from Times Square, anchored by Ben Grauer on radio and television. This coverage was later incorporated into special editions of the network’s late-night talk show, The Tonight Show. Over a million people are estimated to pack Times Square on New Year’s Eve to watch the ball drop, while an estimated one billion worldwide watch the spectacle on television.

My wife and I celebrate New Year’s Eve in our traditional manner. We go out for pizza with friends and then return home to play dominoes, and rarely stay up until midnight. Such is life when you are 77 years old.

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