HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year, readers of blog number 3. That does not mean a non-Happy New Year wish to the non-readers, but readers have of course an advantage from the start in this new year. Ehh... Do I really mean that? I am getting lost from the start. Well, does it really help, wishing that the new year will be great? Or is it just a habit to do so? I suppose it is, strange people, those humans. 

January 1 as New Years Day is arbitrary anyway.  Thanks to Julius Caesar in 44 BC who wanted the god Janus to be good to him and gave him the month of January. Before that time March 1 was the start of the New Year. We still recognize that in the Latin names Septem(7)ber, Octo(8)ber, Novem(9)ber and Decem(10)ber. February was a kind of left-over month. The year had 355 days and depending on the amount of festivities and the availability of wine February was filled with a few more days. But in fact January 1 is arbitrary. Other cultures than the Western countries have different days for New Year. The most well-known is the Chinese New Year.  The start of it is determined by the moon and this year it will be February 16. The festivities take 2 weeks. The whole of China is on the move to their families in that period. In fact, the whole country closes down during that period, as I have experienced many times during my working life, when I could not get in touch with anyone in that period. In many cases the man of the family works at quite a distance and re-unites with his family during this time. Anyway, the year of the dog will start in a few weeks time.  We only have 2 cats.

For most of us the New Year means that we have to try not to get to depressed until Spring arrives. Oops, I am forgetting our Southern Hemisphere friends. They are enjoying Summer. Around 26 degrees in Cape Town now (Centigrade of course, when do you adapt to that, Americans?). Well, enjoying...  water shortage and fires in South Africa. Still a wonderful country. New Zealand, where my sister lives, around 20 agrees. I wonder why we are living here in the Netherlands, too afraid to change? Also greetings to all our friends in Eastern US. A bit chilly out there?

During the actual New Year's eve I was in the place where I live, in Etten, with friends. It was the quietest New Year's eve in my lifetime. At 12 o'clock people go outside and wish each other a Happy New Year. Apparently the neighbors were somewhere else and the closest encounter we had was at 200 meters with some people waving at us. Probably everyone followed the Chinese way of going to visit their families. On the other hand...  we had in the "centre" of our village a small skate track for 3 days in the week before New Year. I went over there and there were at least 300 people near the skate track. The whole village has less than 1900 inhabitants. People gave me free beers and it was fun. I even bumped into the mayor. I still have to get used to living here, apparently.

This was just an in-between-blog. I think it is not allowed to wish for a Happy New Year after January 6. Or is that also some strange Dutch rule?

Regards from dr.B. Nr. 4 will appear soon.