New Year Songs

admin December 23, 2020

(Jewish meaning Shana Tova) Shana hal’cha shana ba’ah Ani kappai arima Shana tova lecha abba Shana tova lach ima

Shana tova, shana tova.

English Translation One year has passed, A new year is coming. I will raise my hands And bid a Happy New Year

To mother and father.

New Year Poems

admin December 23, 2020

I will not throw the cat out the window
Or put a frog in my sister’s bed
I will not tie my brother’s shoelaces together
Nor jump from the roof of Dad’s shed
I shall remember my aunt’s next birthday
And tidy my room once a week
I’ll not moan at Mum’s cooking (Ugh! fish fingers again!)
Nor give her any more of my cheek.
I will not pick my nose if I can help it
I shall fold up my clothes, comb my hair,
I will say please and thank you (even when I don’t mean it)
And never spit or shout or even swear.
I shall write each day in my diary
Try my hardest to be helpful at school
I shall help old ladies cross roads (even if they don’t want to)
And when others are rude I’ll stay cool.
I’ll go to bed with the owls and be up with the larks
And close every door behind me
I shall squeeze from the bottom of every toothpaste tube
And stay where trouble can’t find me.
I shall start again, turn over a new leaf,
leave my bad old ways forever
shall I start them this year, or next year
shall I sometime, or …..?
Robert Fisher

A common image of New Year’s Eve celebration is the incarnation of Father Time – the old year represented by an old bearded man wearing a sash across his chest with the previous year printed on it. This Father Time hands over his responsibilities to the Baby New Year – the personification of New Year represented by a baby wearing a sash with the new year printed on it.

Auld Lang Syne

Inspired by an old Scottish tune, the song Auld Lang Syne (meaning ‘the good old days’) has become the National Anthem of New Year’s eve celebration. The song is traditionally sung at the midnight on the New Year’s Eve in almost all English speaking countries of the world. The lyrics to the song Auld Lang Syne were written by the poet Robert Burns and published after his death in 1796. Bursting of Firecrackers In most parts of the world, people welcome the New Year by bursting noisy firecrackers. Some even fire celebratory gun-shots. The tradition emerged from an ancient belief that noise and fire helped to dispel evil spirits and bring good-luck.

Greeting Happy New Year

Just as the clock strikes at midnight on New Year’s Day people start Greeting Happy New Year to everyone around. At several places there is also a tradition to kiss one’s beloved at midnight. It is said that kissing ensures affections and ties will continue all through the year. To dear ones staying in distant cities, greetings are sent over phone or through SMS and New Year greeting cards.

Popular New Year Eve Celebrations Around the World

Many countries take pride in their New Year’s Eve celebrations but New Year’s Eve of Times Square, Trafalgar Square and Sydney are most popular amongst them all.

New Year’s Eve at Times Square in New York City

New Year’s Eve celebration of Times Square, New York city is one of the most popular New Year’s eve celebrations around the world. The event is noted for the famous ball drop atop One Times Square. Every year, thousands of people from across the world descend upon Times Square to experience this traditional event.

New Year’s Eve at Trafalgar Square in London

This is yet another most popular New Year’s Eve celebrations. Each year thousands of revelers throng the Square to welcome the New Year to the sound of Big Ben’s famous chimes.

New Year’s Eve at Sydney, Australia

Sydney is said to be the world’s preferred destination for New Year’s Eve celebrations. Breathtaking firework display is said to be the major attraction that pull thousands of people to Sydney from all over the world. An estimated 80,000 firecrackers are shot from Sydney Harbour Bridge on the New Year’s Eve, offering a truly stunning view. The other major attraction is The Harbour of Lights Parade. It is a delightful sight to watch cruise boats covered in fairy lights cruise the centre of the harbour all night.

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Ingredients 250 ml: Yoghurt 3 tbsp: Flour 1 tsp: Roasted Fennel Seeds

3-4 tbsp: Ghee / oil for frying

For Sugar Syrup 200 gm sugar 200 ml water

Rind of 1 sweet lime

Method

1. Mix yoghurt, flour and fennel seeds.
2. Stir until a smooth batter is formed.
3. Heat ghee / oil in a pan and make dumplings by frying a spoonful of the batter at a time over a gentle flame.
4. Remove from the pan and drain.
5. Prepare the syrup with sugar, water and rind. Dip the malpuas into the syrup.
6. Garnish with sweet lime segments and cream. Decorate with silver leaf.
7. Serve hot / cold.

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Ingredients 6 tbsp: Cocoa 2 no: Eggs 50 gm: Chopped walnuts 150 gm: Flour 100 ml: Milk 200 gm: Sugar

100 gm: Butter

Method

1. Melt the butter, sugar, cocoa and milk together.
2. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Stir to mix.
4. Bake in a square baking tin at 180 degree C for 25 minutes.
5. Cool and cut into squares.

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Ingredients 250 gm: Carrots-preferably the dark variety (called kaali gajar) 3 tbsp: Powdered mustard seeds 6 cups: Water

2 tbsp: Salt

Method

1. Peel the carrots, and cut them into approx. 7 cm / 3″ pieces, not too thin (about finger size).
2. Boil the water and add the carrots to it. When the water comes to a boil again, shut off the heat and leave to cool.
3. Add the salt and the mustard powder, and transfer into a jar with a lid, and keep this in the sun, to mature.
4. In sunny weather, it takes 3-4 days, for the taste of the mustard to become strong.
5. Do not keep the jar in the sun, after it is ready.

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Ingredients 1-1/2 cups: Hung yogurt 1/4 cup: Besan (chick pea flour) – dry roasted over low heat till slightly darker 1 tbsp: Finely chopped coriander leaves 2 tbsp: Finely chopped onions 1 tsp: Finely chopped green chillies 1 tsp: Roasted and powdered cumin seeds 1 tsp: Salt

Oil / Ghee – for frying

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients except the ghee, and chill for an hour.
2. Shape the mixture into flat rounds (like tikkis) and pan fry over medium heat till brown on both sides. The kababs are quite soft, so you have to handle them carefully.
3. Serve hot with green chutney.

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Ingredients 8 slices of one day old bread 3 no: Eggs 125 ml: Cream 1 1/2 tbsp: Castor Sugar 1/2 tsp: Grated sweet lime rind 1 tbsp: Orange juice 1 tsp: Cinnamon powder 100 gm: Butter Sifted icing sugar

Cut fruits

Method

1. Whisk eggs, cream, sugar, rind, spice and juice together.
2. Dip bread into egg mixture.
3. Heat half the butter in a frying pan. Add half the bread. Cook until golden on both sides.
4. Repeat with remaining butter and bread.
5. Serve toast dusted with icing sugar and accompanied with a little fruit if you wish.

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Ingredients 1 no: French bread, halved length-wise 250 gm: Cooked beetroot-peeled and sliced 150 gm: Sauted mushrooms-sliced 100 gm: Sliced cheese 1 no: Apple, sliced 2 tbsp: Olive oil / melted butter 1 tsp: Chopped garlic 1 tbsp: Olive oil 1 tbsp: Basil leaves 1 tbsp: Olive oil Pepper to season A handful of young beetroot leaves A dash of red wine/ vinegar A squeeze of lemon juice

A dash of olive oil for finish

Method

1. Brush the bread with oil mixed with garlic.
2. Sprinkle with pepper.
3. Place under a grill to color.
4. Set beetroot slices aside.
5. Toss leaves in a pan with wine, lemon juice and oil.
6. Allow it to wilt over a moderate flame.
7. Toss apple and basil in hot oil. Season it.
8. Arrange all ingredients on the bread in any order.
9. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of olive oil over the top.

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Ingredients 2 cups: Flour 1 tsp: Dry yeast 1 tsp: Oil 1 tsp: Sugar Salt to taste or 1 tsp Lukewarm water to knead doughv Filling: Vegetarian or non-vegetarian (as per your choice)

Oil to deep fry

Method

1. Dissolve sugar in 1 cup lukewarm water.
2. Sprinkle dry yeast over it and leave in a draught – free place to froth.
3. Now, sieve the flour, add salt and rub in the 1 tsp oil.
4. Knead into a soft dough till the dough feels firm and elastic and no longer sticky.
5. Place dough in a deep vessel, well dusted with flour, and cover vessel with cling film or a thick damp cloth. Keep in a draught-free place to rise.
6. Shape dough into small balls. Roll into flat rounds.
7. Place filling in the center, lengthwise and cover to seal from all sides, using water to pinch and seal. Deep fry till brown and serve.

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March 1 has been designated as the day of New Year celebration in the early Roman calendar. It consisted of only ten months which began from Mach and ended in December. This pattern of New Year celebration in the month of March still gets reflected in some of the name of the months. As per the earlier Roman calendar September to December was considered to be the seventh to tenth month of the year, which has now changed to ninth to twelfth. “Septem” in latin means seven, similarly “octo” is eight,” novem” is nine and “decem” is ten.

January 1 became a part of the calendar

January and February became a part of the Roman calendar when the second king of Rome, Numa Pontilius added these two months. January did not even exist in the calendar until 700 B.C. New Year was first celebrated on 1st of January in Rome in 153 B.C. The reason behind moving the New Year from March to January was that in this month the two Roman consuls, just elected in the highest office of the Roman Republic began their one year tenure. Even though the New Year was shifted to January from March, the phenomenon was not strictly observed and it was still observed on 1st March by many.

Julian calendar and the Official institution of January 1 as New Year

The Roman calendar had become widely inaccurate over the years which were based on lunar system. Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. made an improvement in the Roman calendar with the introduction of a new solar-based calendar. With the advent of the Julian calendar January 1 became widely known as the date of New Year celebration.

Abolition of January 1as New Year celebration day

In medieval Europe January 1 was abolished as the New Year celebration as it was considered unchristian and pagan. Rather 25th December the birth anniversary of Jesus was considered as the New Year celebration day

Restoration of January 1as New Year celebration day-The Gregorian calendar

With the advent of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, January 1 was restored as the New Year’s Day. Though it was only gradually adopted by many protestant countries most Catholic countries adopted the calendar without any delay.

People of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka begin New Year preparations a week before the festival. They clean their houses and surrounding areas whilst decorate it with mango leaves. Shopping for Ugadi gifts, new clothes and other items are done with a lot of fervor. Most of the people exchange gifts like silk saree, dhoti, pootarelullu and sweets like kaja, pala kova etc.

On the Ugadi day, people get up early in the morning, apply coconut oil to their bodies, take a head bath and wear new clothes. Then they visit nearby temple to offer prayers to God, chant mantras and listen to Panchanga Sravanam. Priests or experts forecasts new events of the year and make people aware of the coming situations.

Traditional Ugadi Food

All the family members and friends sit together for the traditional sauce called Ugadi Pachchadi. It is a mixture of the following products:

• Neem leaves which is good for patients who have diabetes and skin diseases.
• Jaggery increases haemoglobin level and sugarcane juice fights against jaundice.
• Raw mango and Tamarind juice are consumed with almost every dish prepared by women of Karnataka and Andhra Pardesh.

Ugadi Pachchadi signifies that life is not a smooth journey. All sorrows, happiness, success and disappointment must be given due importance. All experiences have to be treated equally as it makes us learn something new every time and prepares us for the rest. It makes us develop positive attitude towards life. People also make some resolutions and pray to God for their well-being and prosperity.

My Resolution

This game can be played by 4 or more players. Make your guest write his or her own 5 resolutions, each on a slip of paper. Pull one slip of paper out of a hat at a time and read it out loud. Everyone has to write down on another sheet of paper who they think made each resolution. At the end of the readings, the person who guessed the most correctly wins a prize. Talk about some of the wrong guesses out loud for fun!

The Grouping Game

This is a good game to play as a mixer. It is a fun, fast moving game. It starts out as everyone collects in one big group.

The leader initially calls out a number, usually a number between two and fifteen. The number shouldn’t be more than half of the number of total participants. When the number is called out everyone must try to collect in a group that contains that number of people. The group members should be latching arms or have their arms wrapped around each other so that the leader can see who is in the group. If someone cannot enter a group because the number of required members has been reached, he is out of the game. As different numbers are successively called out the number of participants gets smaller and smaller. Eventually, there are less than ten people. The last group, or winning group, should have anywhere from two to five people.

New years win, lose or draw

This game is one of the active games played at the time of New Year. More than 6 players can play this game. Large drawing pads, pens and list of large events are required. Go through magazines and newspapers to pick out events from past years. Use these events as “titles” to Win, Lose or Draw. For tons of fun, make each of your guests team up in two’s and draw whichever past year’s event that they have randomly drawn while others guess.

Funny Face Contest

Such games have been played by people of all ages for so many years. At times it seems to be a very old concept but is still amongst the most commonly played games. Take picture of your guests one by one. Have them make a funny face and be sure to tell them there is a prize for the best face. After all the pictures have been taken, download them to your computer or laptop and have everyone gather around the monitor. The winner will be judged on the greatest laughter.

Whether one believes in them or not, the truth is that New Year Horoscopes are extremely popular. Most newspapers, magazines, TV channels, calendars give detailed horoscopes reports to suit the fancy of their readers. These days one can also find New Year Horoscopes in many of the astrology websites. Besides, several astrologers, numerologists, tarot card readers publish books which claim to predict a person’s future in coming year. These are very much in demand and even work as a New Year’s gift.

To trigger the minds of the readers, most New Year horoscopes give prediction on some of the most touching aspects of our life including career, love life, relationships, money matters, travel prospects, health etc. Many people feel that most of the the horoscopes give generalized or vague predictions which in some way or the other seems true for every one. At times people use selective thinking to fit the predictions into their lives. Well, whatever be the case, the fact remains that New Year predictions are extremely popular and the craze for them seems to be increasing amongst both the young and old.

Various Kinds of New Year Prediction

Different theories are used to predict one’s future. Some of the most popular ones include:

Sun Sign Astrology
Sun Sign astrology is one of the most popular form of traditional Western astrology. This is quite popular in newspaper columns. This system describe a map of the zodiac at the time of one’s birth. The zodiac is divided into twelve zones of the sky, each named after the constellation that originally fell within its zone (Taurus, Leo, etc.). The apparent paths of the sun, the moon, and the major planets all fall within the zodiac.

Tarot Cards
Tarot Cards are quite popular in present times. These are considered powerful tools for those with the ability to interpret the cards. Traditionally, there are 78 cards in a Tarot Card deck and is separated into two parts – the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. The type of Tarot Card deck used is based upon personal preference.

Chinese Astrology
Chinese Astrology is one of the oldest types of Astrology and is popular all over the world. Each Chinese Astrology sign is represented by an animal. There are 12 animal signs in total, each corresponding to a lunar year. Each of these signs also having 5 elements namely, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. In certain years, particular elements are more prominent.

Junishi or Japanese Astrology
Japanese style of astrological predictions is known as Junishi. This is based on 12 year cycle of animal years and is gradually gaining popularity.

Numerology
Numerology is the study of numbers and how they relate to us. The study takes into consideration birth date, numeric value of alphabets used in one’s name and other basic numerology techniques to determine the future of a person.

Blood Type Japanese people use person’s blood group to determine a person’s character. Though there is no scientific theory to back this system of predicting future there are many who believe in it.

Just as the clock signals the arrival of New Year on the midnight of 31st December people start exchanging New Year Wishes with their dear one

s. While personal greetings along with a warm hug is given to people who are with us, SMS, emails and New Year cards are sent to dear one’s staying in dif

ferent cities or countries. Given here are some classic and funny New Year wishes that will help you greet your dear ones in better and more special way. A good idea would be to quote these wishful messages in your gift tag. The given collection also includes some selected New Year wishes poems. These may ideally be quoted in the New Year’s Day Card.

I wish this New Year provides you enough reasons to be happy and you have uncountable days filled with joy and mirth!

May your New Year be spent in pomp and splendour and the upcoming year in love and peace! Happy New Year!

May this New Year equip you with good luck, good health, good fortune and good times! Happy New Year!

In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, never in want.

And may we live in a world at peace and with the awareness of God’s love in every sunset, every flower’s unfolding petals, every baby’s smile, every lover’s kiss, and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart.

This bright new year is given me To live each day with zest To daily grow and try to be My highest and my best!

Glory to God in highest heaven, Who unto man His Son hath given; While angels sing with tender mirth, A glad new year to all the earth

Every new year people make resolutions to change aspects of themselves they believe are negative. A majority of people revert back to how they were before and feel like failures. This year I challenge you to a new resolution. I challenge you to just be yourself.

Your Merry Christmas may depend on what others do for you. But your Happy New Year depends on what you do for others.

Resolve to make at least one person happy every day, and then in ten years you may have made three thousand, six hundred and fifty persons happy, or brightened a small town by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment.

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called “Opportunity” and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.

A happy New Year! Grant that I May bring no tear to any eye When this New Year in time shall end Let it be said I’ve played the friend, Have lived and loved and labored here, And made of it a happy year.

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.

Then sing, young hearts that are full of cheer, With never a thought of sorrow; The old goes out, but the glad young year Comes merrily in tomorrow

A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to the world!