Happy New Year!

RedState’s Water Cooler – December 31, 2018 – Open Thread

Hillary Clinton & James Comey Duet: What Difference Does It Make

I came across an entertaining video on youtube.com of James Comey’s infamous exoneration of Hillary Clinton – set to music!

How New Year’s Eve Is Celebrated Around The World And Other New Year’s Trivia

1. 1. In the southern US, people eat black eyed peas to ring in the new year, a tradition which originated the Jewish New Year celebration of Rosh Hashanah. The custom began in the US when “Shepari Jews moved to Georgia in the 1730s. By the end of the Civil War, the Rosh Hashanah tradition had evolved into a widespread practice in the South, enjoyed by both Jews and gentiles.”
  2. Similarly, leafy greens and legumes are eaten in Ireland, Germany and Italy to bring good luck in the new year.”
  3. The Japanese believe that “eating long noodles on New Year’s Eve means that they would be granted the gift of long life in the coming year.”
  4. Approximately one million people flock to New York City’s Time Square each New Year’s Eve to watch the “ball” drop. According to Newsweek, the tradition began in 1904 to celebrate the completion of the new New York Time’s headquarters building, which was the second tallest building in the city at the time. “The celebration involved a street festival that lasted all day, which ended in a show of fireworks. More than 200,000 people were in attendance.”
  5. According to Thrillist.com, 22% of people fall asleep before the clock strikes twelve on New Year’s Eve.
  6. In Finland, family and friends gather to burn metal in a pan for a ritual called “molybdomancy”. The Finns inspect the shadows the metal casts by candlelight, as those shapes are supposed to predict the future. Although, this metal is customarily called “tin,” it’s actually sometimes lead, which, among other things, is known to spark severe mental illness… that might explain why this ritual has persisted for hundreds of years. And while that’s all pretty well and weird, the Finns aren’t alone: Ecuadorians burn paper-filled scarecrows, the Swiss drop ice cream on the floor, and people in Siberia plunge into frozen lakes while carrying a tree trunk — all to ring in the new year.
  7. Over 4,000 years ago, the ancient Babylonians were the first people recorded to have celebrated new years. They considered the new year to begin upon the arrival of the first new moon after the vernal equinox.
  8. According to History.com, “in Spain and a number of Spanish-speaking countries, people eat twelve grapes right before midnight to signify their hopes for each month of the new year.”
  9. Mexico, Greece and other places celebrate the holiday by feasting on ring-shaped cakes, which are meant to denote the fact that life has come a full cirle, AJC reported.”
  10. Ancient Persians gave New Year’s gifts of eggs, which symbolized productiveness.
  11. 1582 – The Gregorian calendar, which marks January 1 as the new year, is adopted by the Roman Catholic Church. January is named after Janus, the god with two faces, one looking forward and one looking backward.
  12. “Auld Lang Syne” – a poem written by Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1788, is traditionally sung on New Year’s Eve. It is believed to be based on an old folk song. The words “auld lang syne” mean “times gone by.”