“The Best and Worst of the Decade,” proclaimed the
magazine’s headline, which introduced a series of photos and
captions with those invented ratings so beloved by editors to
mark historical breaking points such as centuries and decades.
The New York Times, not to be outdone, last
Sunday invited 10 writers to contribute to a feature titled
“The
Decade We Had.”
A few years ago, when we were changing from 1999 to 2000, a
large number of media people (NBC’s Brian Williams was a notable
exception) surmised — without thinking — that it denoted a
change from one century to another. It did not. The centuries
actually changed from the 20th to the 21st one year later, on
January 1, 2001.
Now, many of these same media folk have surmised that the
first decade of the new century ends this Thursday, December 31,
followed by a new one the next day. Collectively, they seem to
have forgotten that the world normally count from One to 10 or
One to 100, not Zero to 9 or Zero to 99.
The Christian dating system (“Anno Domine” — “The Year of
Our Lord”) was based on the assumption that the First Century was
the one in which Christ lived. Many theologians concluded he had
been born in the Year One and was crucified when he was about 33
years of age. No one argued that he was born in the Zero
Century.
The “A.D.” gradually became a worldwide standard so that in
deference to non-Christian users its dates are now widely
designated as “C.E.” or Common Era.
If you think this coming Friday is the beginning of a new
decade, just remember to change a lifetime’s worth of dating
everything in the normal way and start counting from Zero to
Nine.
Confusion has marked many other aspects of New Year
celebrations. There’s nothing “new” about the event. The
Babylonians began celebrating it about 4,000 years ago, only they
considered the beginning of the year to occur with the first new
moon after the Vernal Equinox (the first day of spring). The
Romans, great assimilators of other people’s traditions,
continued this. Then, in 153 B.C., the Roman senate decreed
January 1 to be the start of the new year.
As Christianity spread, the church frowned on New Year’s
Day celebrations, considering them to be a pagan holdover.
Gradually, opposition declined, but the holiday has been widely
celebrated in the West for only some 400 years.
The Babylonians also started the New Year’s resolution
parade. Their favorite wasn’t weight loss or quitting smoking,
but vowing to return borrowed farm tools.
A sprightly baby, the ubiquitous symbol of the new year in
the United States, is actually an old-timer, dating from 600 B.C.
in Greece. Folks showed off babies in baskets to celebrate
Dionysius, the god of wine. Their babies symbolized his annual
rebirth.
Father Time, who is always paired with the baby, is a more
modern invention. It is unsettling to think that this stooped old
geezer, often carrying a scythe, was, just 365 days before, a
rambunctious baby. Tempus fugit—time flies—but not quite fast
enough for those jump-the-gun journalists. So, as you declare
“Happy New Year” to loved ones and friends at the stroke of
midnight Thursday night (accompanied by kisses and champagne),
remember, you’ll have another year to go before you drink a toast
to a new decade.
(Peter Hannaford expects to celebrate the New
Year at about 10 p.m. the night before.)
