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Published: December 31, 2006 by The Bohol Standard
By Atty Cristifil "Check" Baluma

As 2006 ends today, we could not help but look back at it and look forward to 2007. New Year’s Eve, as customarily practiced by many Filipinos, is more of a time for family reunions. The year 2006 in general, had been a good year for us Filipinos, as our nation had overcome the many challenges that beset her, including the loss of thousands of lives caused by calamities and disasters, most of the latter sadly caused by human neglect.

Our peso had risen to such level considered an all time high for the past six years, indicative of a robust economy. While many critics of the government points to the high dollar remittances as a major factor of the surge of our very own peso, it cannot be denied that the peso has began to surge even before December 2006. While it can be argued that the improvement of the economy is still yet to be felt by the poorest of the poor, the “masa”, the gains made this year is enough reason to celebrate and enough ladder to hope for better things to come in 2007.

New Year’s Day for many begins tomorrow, January 1, 2007. But did many know that during the Middle Ages in most European countries, New Year’s Day was not January 1 but March 25? Such date was called the Day of the Annunciation and it was the time when it was revealed to Mary that she would be giving birth to the Son of Man. Ever since the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar in 1852, Roman Catholic countries began to celebrate New Year’s Day on January 1. Our Chinese brothers and sisters celebrate New Year sometime between January 21 and February 19 of the Gregorian Calendar while the Jewish Community celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, generally in September on the first and second day of Tishri.

During New Year’s Day in old Europe it was a day of questions being the Day of Annunciation. Imagine one is told that she is conceiving even without nobody touching? The Chinese made it curt: “I no come. She does not come. But baby comes. How come?”

Just to add spice to the New Year, do you know why the first month of the year is called January? January is taken from the name Janus, who in Roman mythology was the god of doors, gateways and of beginnings. Janus principal temple in the Forum has doors facing east and west for the beginning and ending of the day, and between them stood his statue with two faces, gazing in opposite directions. Morning prayers in every home were addressed to him and in every undertaking his assistance was sought. Being the god of beginnings, Janus was publicly invoked on the first day of January, the month that was named after him because it began the New Year. Janus was also invoked at the beginning of wars.

New Year’s Day is a great opportunity for a new beginning. New Year’s Day is once described as an occasion for noisy celebration and the making of personal resolutions. Personal resolutions, “new year’s resolutions” surely is in everyone’s mind. Certain bad habits and practices are usually being considered to be avoided and eliminated at this point of time.

For the chain smokers and habitual alcoholics, usually their determination to get rid of the vice is high at the start of the year, but without really the strong determination to get rid of the vice perhaps a job to get busy with, they would succumb to the temptations so the taste of nicotine and alcohol. Perhaps crimes during January will not be many, as habitual criminals, those still carrying with them even the slightest pound of conscience will attempt to not commit crime anymore. If only the prayers of all people would find their answers, I see the end of crimes being committed by criminals only committing crimes for the sake of getting money to buy food.

May the answers to the questions to the New Year are happy, bright, pretty and beautiful. Here’s to that what we all want to get in 2007 we will get it all. Welcome 2007 for a prosperous and graceful year!

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