Happy New Year

Some New Year's History

The tradition of using a baby to signify the new year was begun in Greece around 600 BC. It was their tradition at that time to celebrate their god of wine, Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket, representing the annual rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility. Early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth.

Although the early Christians denounced the practice as pagan, the popularity of the baby as a symbol of rebirth forced the Church to reevaluate its position. The Church finally allowed its members to celebrate the new year with a baby, which was to symbolize the birth of the baby Jesus.

The use of an image of a baby with a New Years banner as a symbolic representation of the new year was brought to early America by the Germans. They had used the effigy since the fourteenth century.

We will be taking it easy here at the Gray House with a nice, relaxing, evening. We are still resting up from Christmas and the traveling and trying to get the twins back to their schedule. New Year's Eve is the anniversary of our engagement. Louis had wanted to ask me to marry him sooner but had been told he needed to wait, by his mom, because his brother was getting married and should not have any attention drawn away from him. So he waited three whole days after the wedding and then popped the question on the stroke of midnight. It was very romantic and I was totally surprised. And he has continued to surprise me since.

Happy 2009!