YEAR. 



efe confecrated to Janus ; on whic'; account it was that 

 ■V reprefented him with two faces. 



Fo them we owe the ceremony of wifhing an happy neiu 

 ir, which appears to be very ancient. Before the firft 

 . v.a? fpent they not only vifited and complimented each 

 iier, but alfo prefented ftrenje, and offered vows to the 



4. nls for the prefervation of each other. 



Lucian reprefents it as a praftice of a very ancient Iland- 



I'l^', even in his time, and refers it to Numa. 



Ovid intimates the fame ceremony in the beginning of 



■ i_^ Faiti : 



" Poftera lux oritur, linguifque animifque favete : 

 Nunc dicenda bono funt bona verba die." 



And Pliny more exprefsly, lib. xxviii. cap. I. " Primum 

 3 ni incipientis diem Isetis precationibus invicem fauftum 

 oirmantur." 



In Ruffia at the new year is annually held a feaft of the 

 doad, called Raditzli Sabol, on occafion of which every 

 L ody \-ifit3 the grave of his relations, lays fome vidluals 

 upon it, and then hears roafs, in payment for which the 

 priefts get the viftuals. In our own country, the ulhering 

 la of the new year, or " New Year's tide," with rejoicings, 

 prefents, and good wifhes, was a cuftom obferved, during 

 the 16th century, with great regularity and parade, and 

 was as cordially celebrated in the court of the prince as in 

 tfie cottage of the peafant. On the firft day of the new 

 year, prefent?, called new year's gifts, were given and re- 

 ceived with the mutual expreffion of good wifhes, and par- 

 ticularly that of a " happy new year." The compliment 

 was fometimes paid at each other's doors in the form of a 

 fong ; but more generally, efpecially in the north of Eng- 

 land and in Scotland, thehoufe was entered very early in the 

 morning by fome young men and maidens felefted for the pur- 

 pofe, who prefented the fpiced bo>vl, and hailed you with the 

 gratulations of the feafon. In the reign of queen Elizabeth, 

 the chief officers of ftate, and feveral of the queen's houfehold 

 fervants, gave new year's gifts to her majefty, confifting, in 

 general, either of a fum of money, or jewels, trinkets, wearing- 

 apparel, &c. The largeft fum given by any of the tem- 

 poral lords was 20/.; but the archbifhop of Canterbury 

 gave 4c/., the archbiftiop of York 30/., and the other fpi- 

 ritual lords 20/. and 10/. Many of the temporal lords and 

 great officers, and moft of the peerefTes, gave rich gowns, 

 petticoats, fmocks, kirtles, filk (lockings, Cyprus garters, 

 Aveet-bags, doublets, mantles, fome embroidered with pearls, 

 garnets, &c., looking-glaffes, fans, bracelets, ca/kets ftudded 

 with precious ftones, jewels ornamented with fparks of dia- 

 monds in various devices, and other coftly trinkets. Thefe 

 prefents alfo confifted of books, and appropriate gifts from 

 phyficians, apothecaries, &c. The queen, though {he made 

 returns in plate and other articles, took fufficient care that 

 the balance fhould be in her own favour. In the country, 

 however, with the exception of the extenfive houfeholds cf 

 the nobility, this interchange was condufted on the pure 

 bafis of reciprocal kindnefs and good will, and without any 

 view of fecuring patronage or fupport ; it was, indeed, fre- 

 quently the channel through which charity delighted to ex- 

 ercife her holy influence, and though originating in the hea- 

 then world, became fanftified by the Chriftian virtues. 



We (hall here add, that the rejoicings on new year's tide 

 were fucceeded by the obfervance of the " Twelfth-day," 

 called, from the idea that the Eattern magi, who are faid to 

 have vifited our Saviour on that day, were kings, the " Feaft 

 of the Three Kings." The " Twelfth-cake," diftributed on 

 that occafion, was almoft always accompanied by the wajfail 

 iou'l; which fee. Drake's Shakfpeare, vol. i. 



on the day of the Ar.i.unciation ; i. ,. on the zcih dav of 

 March : though the hWtorical year began on the day ^ tul 

 Circumcfion ; , .. the firft of January, on which day xh.- 

 Oerman and Italian year alfo begins. 



Stowe obferves that WiUiam the Conqueror havine b-en 

 crowned on the firft of January, that henceforth became ihe 

 hrlt ot the year for hiftorians, &c. though, in all civil aff-airs, 

 they retained the ancient manner of acccuntinff, which be- 

 gan the 25th of March. 



The part of the year between thefe two terms was ufuaUy 

 expreffed both ways, as 1748-9, or .74I. But by the aft 

 for altering the ftyle, the civil year now commences with 

 January 1. See A^e^ Style. 



Since the Conqueror, the king's patents, charters, pro- 

 clamations, &c. are ufually dated by the year of the kind's 

 reign. ° 



The church, as to her folemn fervice, begins the year on 

 thehrft Sunday in Advent, which is always that next St. 

 Andrew's day, or the 30th of November. 



The Jews, as moft other nations of the Eaft, had a cImI 

 year, which commenced with the new moon in September ; 

 and an ecclefiaftical year, which commenced from ihc new' 

 moon in March. 



The month Tifri, which began about the time of the au- 

 tumnal equinox, was the firft month of the Jewifti year, till 

 it was changed at the time of the coming up of the children 

 of Ifrael out of Egypt. For that happening in the month 

 of Abib, afterwards called Nifan, this month was for this 

 reafon reckoned the firft month of the year in all ecclefiafti- 

 cal matters. Before this period, Tifri was reckoned the 

 commencement of the year, becaufe it was thought tl^at the 

 world was created and firft began at the time of the autumnal 

 equinox. And for this reafon, the Jews do ftill in their era 

 of the creation of the world, as well as in their era of con- 

 traftp, compute the beginning of the year from the firft of 

 Tifri, and all their bills and bonds, and all other civil afts 

 and contrafts, are ftill dated among them according to the 

 fame computation ; and from this month alfo they began all 

 their jubilees and fabbatical years. And therefore, although 

 their ecclefiaftical year began from Nifan, and all their fef- 

 tivals were computed from it, yet their civil year was ftill 

 reckoned from Tifri, and the firft day of that month was 

 their new year's day ; and for the more folemn celebration of 

 It, the feaft of trumpets feems to have been appointed. 



The French year, during the reigns of the Merovingian 

 race, began on the day on which the troops were reviewed ; 

 which was the firft day of March. Under the Carlovingians 

 it began on Chriftmasday ; and under the Capetians, on 

 Eafter-day ; which, therefore, varied between the 22d of 

 March and the 25lh of April. The ecclefiaftical year in 

 France begins on the firft Sunday in Advent. But for the 

 civil, Charles IX. appointed, in 1564, that for the future it 

 ftiould commence on the ift of January. 



For an account of the change that took place in the year 

 of France, fee French or Republican Calendar. The 

 French calendar was of no long duration. It was abolilhed 

 in the courfe of thirteen years ; and the Gregorian was re- 

 ftored, and ordered to be ufed in all dates after the ift of 

 January, i8o6. 



The Mahometans begin their year the minute in which 

 the fun enters Aries. The Perfians in the month anfwering 

 to our June. The Chinefe, and moft of the Indians, begin 

 it with the firft moon in March. The Brachmans begin it 

 with the new moon in April, on which day they hold a feaft 

 czl\eA famivat faradi pauduga, q. d. feall of New-year's day. 

 The Mexicans, according to D'Acoita, begin the year on 



