So, 2016 is over. Thank everything under the stars for that. It’s been a brutal year, hasn’t it? Still, we’re going to try to make it leave and ring in 2017 with flair. That means a sale. Because there are certain things you should be doing right now, and no, we don’t mean planning the biggest bash of the year. What we do mean is that if you have a forced air HVAC system, now is the time to change out those filters. And to help you do that, we’re giving you this incentive (drum roll please)
20% off ALL purchases of $30 or more!
Use code: HOLIDEAL2
PLUS we have 10% off all HVAC filters! (because it's time to change them again!)
Use code: HOLIFILTER
And our 2-in-1 wine opener is still on sale for $25.99 (cause it's the New Years and booze are awesome!)
Use code: WINEME
So now there’s no excuse. Pair that special with free shipping, some of the best customer service you’ll ever experience when it comes to filtration, and you can swap those filters out and breathe easy. You’ll sleep like the New Year’s baby, knowing that the air being recirculated through your home is being swept clean of allergens, mold, and other things you really don’t want to breathe in.
What’s the Deal with the Baby?
So, speaking of the New Year’s baby. Have you ever wondered where that got started? After all, everyone is familiar with the little tyke. It’s usually a boy, wearing only a diaper and a top hat. He’s usually got a sash with the year emblazoned on it. We’ve all seen the New Year’s Baby, but where did he come from?
Turns out that the tradition was actually started in Ancient Greece. Way back in those days, the New Year was rung in with a celebration dedicated to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and revelry. When the Greeks celebrated the New Year, they would place a baby in a basket and raise it to the sky to represent his birth.
The Romans adopted the symbolic baby and as their influence spread, so did their traditions about New Year’s Day celebrations. Fast forward to the 19th century, and when Germans began immigrating to the United States, they brought the tradition of the New Year’s baby wearing a banner with them. The first mass media image of the New Year’s Baby appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in 1908.
April Fool’s Day and New Year’s Day
You might not think that the two celebrations have much in common. After all, one is celebrated in January and the other is celebrated in April. It makes more sense once you know that New Year’s Day used to be celebrated in conjunction with Easter. Easter Sunday changes dates according to the lunar cycle, but it primarily took place in April. In 1564, the Edict of Roussillon shifted New Year’s Day to January 1st. People who still celebrated the New Year on Easter were considered to be backwards and foolish. Those who celebrated the New Year on January 1st made fun of them, calling them April Fools.
Good Luck Foods and Resolutions
The history of making resolutions on New Year’s Day started in about 1890 B.C.E. with the Babylonians. They would make a promise to their gods to return borrowed goods and repay their debts. The Romans would make vows to Janus (where January gets its name) about various things. In Judaism, Yom Kippur is considered a day of atonement, where a person reflects on their wrongdoings during the year and offers and receives forgiveness. However, the modern practice of resolutions comes from the Catholic tradition of Lent. Like we said earlier, New Year’s used to be celebrated near Easter, which is when Lent is observed. The traditional fasting and penance during Lent were seen as promises that were to carry over into the New Year. When New Year’s Day moved to January 1st, the tradition of making vows and resolutions traveled with it, giving us our modern version of promising to swear off of junk food and go to the gym at least three times per week.
Then there’s the tradition of eating something on New Year’s Day to bring good luck throughout the coming year. For instance, the Pennsylvania Dutch believe in pork and sauerkraut as a good luck meal. Before the meal, each person wishes that the others will receive as much wealth and happiness as there are shreds of cabbage in the meal. Pigs have always been a symbol of good luck and wellness in many cultures. Pigs never move backward, and always keep their noses to the ground, so eating them transfers that luck to the person eating them.
Other cultures eat other foods for the same reason. Long noodles are eaten in many Asian countries, with the long noodles signifying a long life. Black-eyed peas are a good luck food in the Southern United States because of a potential mistranslation of the Babylonian Talmud, where rubiya is listed as a good luck food. Lubiya in Arabic translates to black-eyed peas, while in Aramaic, it means fenugreek. Other traditional foods include pomegranates in Turkey, pickled herring in Scandinavian countries, and lentils in Italy.
However you celebrate your New Year’s, we at Think Crucial would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy New Year and hope that it brings you prosperity and happiness. From all of us here, to all of you out there, Happy 2017!
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