Five days into yet another year. I sometimes wonder what is it that makes us so look forward to the ending of one year and the beginning of the next. What makes us all wish each other, sometimes rather mechanically, a happy new year. And sometimes we go a bit further and wish people a happy, prosperous, and successful new year; or something on those lines. But the essence of the message is this – wish you have a good time this coming year.
When exactly do we start a new year? Shouldn’t it be on our birthdays? Shouldn’t that be the time when people wish us a happy new year? But then that’s the time when people wish us “Happy birthday”. And then there is the mysterious message “Many happy returns of the day.” I have never been able to understand what that means. What does that literally mean? I am just not able to connect the words together to arrive at a meaning.
So what is it about the dawning, apparently, of a new year that makes it a collective act of anticipation of happiness? May be it is the fact that, unlike our birthdays which we individually celebrate, the new year is something that we all share. It’s probably sort of like a universal birthday – something that is celebrated by the world at large. There is a minor exception here though – some countries celebrate the new year on different dates. So you have the Chinese new year, the muslim new year, and so on. But that doesn’t take away the sheen from January 1st.
For the major part of 2007, I will be here in Saudi Arabia. I don’t really look forward to a lot of happy things happening to me over here. There isn’t much I can look forward to except a trip to India. The rest of my world here will be taken up by work, and that is something I don’t really look much forward to. But what the hell, there are plenty of things that can possibly happen. I don’t know what they are; I will just have to wait and see.
As for the rest of you, here’s wishing that this year proves better than the last one. That’s what we all want, isn’t it? For things to keep getting better? I wish you all just that!
8 comments:
Kinda like that for me... People start wishing me happy new year four days from my birthday :)
:) Appy New Year dude.. We shd all meet up when u come to India, that wil be our New Year celebration!!
Happy New Year!!
Maybe the whole point of the new yer is that we are getting a fresh chance to do everythin different....
I don't know!
Well I always thought "many returns of the day" was literally meant to imply that may this particular day come visiting you many times again.. in other words "may you live a long life".. nothing mysterious about that.
Hmm...here's ur mechanical HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Add a few poops and peeps to that!!!
How wud u feel if u got kicked in the pants on the second day of the New year? And if that wasnt enough, u get a supplementary kick once every week since!!! I certainly am not enjoying that experience.
Happy new year to u too....btw why we dont wish each other the same on our birthdays....remember even that doesnt mark another year of existence....just another year of being born...:)....2007 full of work eh???...hopefully for sumo n me...it will only be 5 more months... :)
Wish you the same dude! Hows you doing there?
Many many happy returns of the day to you....seriously where did it come from! lol
Hope Exciting things do happen to you :) cheers!
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