New Year Traditions and Customs

The historians believe that the tradition of celebrating New Year began 4,000 years ago with the Babylonians.  Over the years the Egyptians, Romans, Celts upheld the tradition and it is cherished to date in a lavish way.  Most countries celebrate New Year on January 01 as established by Julius Caesar when he invented the Julian Calendar in 46 BC.  Some countries which have other religions and traditions follow different calendars, celebrating their New Year on other days in the year as per their customs.  Following are some New Year facts and traditions engaged in by those who adhere to the Gregorian calendar on the 1st of January.

New Year’s Eve – The celebration of the upcoming year gets geared up on the 31st of December with hotels, pubs, restaurants and other public institutions organizing parties, balls, and other activities to usher in the New Year.  People eat, dance, participate in games and contests as they enjoy the closing of the current year and prepare to welcome the upcoming year.  In several countries, New Year occurs in the middle of winter and it tends to be extremely cold.  Bonfires are built to keep those outside warm until midnight when they greet the New Year with cheerful noise and a display of fireworks, hugs and well wishes for the New Year are exchanged by those in attendance.  For those who are far apart, phone calls are made and short messages sent via text on mobiles or computers to friends and family.

New Year’s Day Celebrations – This day is marked with dressing up in new clothes, cleaning the house and spending the day with family, friends and dear ones.  Some people visit their friends and family as they exchange well wishes and gifts for the New Year.  Many people go to restaurants, malls and multi-complexes on this day and statistics show this to be a very busy day for many establishments.  Some go out for picnics or visit exotic tourist destinations to enjoy the day.

New Year Resolutions – This tradition began way back when the early Babylonians made it a point to start the New Year with a clean slate and return any borrowed farm implement to its owner.  The tradition of making resolutions on this day has been observed over the years.  These days many have both grand and small desires for the New Year like losing weight, giving up smoking, being more organized and more.  Unfortunately, many of these desires do not see the light of the second week of the year as they have been shelved during the course of the first week.  Credit must be given where it is due for those who are determined enough to see their resolution to a successful conclusion.

New Year’s Parades and Games – There are world famous parades organized by several cities like the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena California, Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco and the New Year Parade of London.  These occasions are watched by millions of people on television and attended by those who are close to the parade route.  During these parades, floats (vehicles) are decorated with flowers and other displays for the enjoyment of those watching.  Before or after the parades the same cities and others have cricket, athletics, soccer and football games for sports enthusiasts to participate in, watch live or via television.  Other families bring out their favorite indoor games and they have quality time together on this first day of the year.

New Year Greetings - Exchanging New Year wishes during this festive occasion is quite common. As the clock strike midnight of the 31st, people will start greeting their loved ones a Happy New Year. New Year greetings could be in different forms such as traditional paper card, ecard, SMS or email. Depending on the situation, you may send each of them to your recipient this New Year's Day.

Peda Recipe for Diwali Festival

Diwali is a Celebration where people in India come together for a day of happiness and thanksgiving, lots of decorations and traditions, and feasting and gift-giving. Of course, aside from exchanging diwali wishes, the occasion is not complete without the delicacies prepared to feast on and one sweet treat is never missed during this event, peda, and preparing it is as easy as eating it. Here’s how:

Recipe for Peda

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ kilo soft white Khoya (grated)
• ½ tsp. Cardamom powder
• 1 tsp. Cardamom seeds (semi-crushed)
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp. crushed pistachios

PROCEDURE:

1. In a mixing bowl, mix grated khoya with powdered sugar.

2. Heat skillet or a non-stick pan on high and pour in the khoya mixture. Continue stirring and gradually lessen the heat until the mixture becomes thick.

3. Then gradually add the cardamom powder and mix until well blended.

4. Remove from fire and let it cool for a few minutes. Turn it over from time to time.

5. With the use of Cookie moulds, shape the pedas into patty like shapes. If not, form the mixture into balls and press it gently to form a flat round shape.

6. Sprinkle the Cardamom seeds and crushed pistachios over the patty and press it gently onto both sides of the mould.

7. Let it set, then turn it over to remove from mould.

VARIATIONS

• You can try to doll up your peda by adding color to it. Yellow, orange and green are attractive colors that coincide with the diwali theme.

• Add up some toppings to your peda such as cashew, almonds and walnuts.

• If you want variety in flavor, try adding

• ½ cup cashew powder for cashew flavor or
• 2 tbsp. cocoa powder and additional ½ cup powdered sugar or
• ½ cup walnuts

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