“January is here, with eyes that keenly glow. A frost-mailed warrior striding a shadowy steed of snow.” – Edgar Fawcett
According to folklore, the weather of the first 12 days of the year is said to be indicative of the following 12 months. So the weather on January 1st will be the weather of January and the weather on January 2 will be February’s weather etc. Boy if that’s true we could have a COLD winter, but does mean if January 7th is cold then July will be cold?????????? Something to think about.
Did ya know that on January 4, 2022, Earth reached perihelion -the point in the planet’s orbit where it is closest to the Sun? At perihelion, Earth was just 91,406,842 miles from our bright neighbor. January’s Moon is called the Wolf Moon. This year, the full Moon reaches peak illumination at 4:51 P.M. MST on Monday, January 17. It can be seen rising from the horizon around sunset that evening.
The Quadrantid meteors appear in the early January sky, producing up to 25 meteors per hour at their peak. They were at their best on the night of Monday, January 3, into Tuesday, January 4. For the best chance at spotting them, venture out between midnight and dawn (if you can stand the cold).
For those who love to garden. January is now the best time to start planning your garden for the upcoming season.
From the Babylonians who resolved to return borrowed farm equipment to medieval knights who would renew their vow to chivalry, New Year’s resolutions are nothing new. New Year’s resolutions actually go back to ancient times. In 2000 B.C., the Babylonians celebrated the New Year during a 12-day festival called Akitu (starting with the vernal equinox). This was the start of the farming season to plant crops, crown their king, and make promises to pay their debts. One common resolution was the returning of borrowed farm equipment (which makes sense for an agriculturally based society, especially if you want to borrow again!).
January was named for the two-faced Roman god, Janus, who looks forward for new beginnings as well as backward for reflection and resolution. The Romans would offer sacrifices to Janus and make promises of good behavior for the year ahead.
New Year’s resolutions were also made in the Middle Ages. Medieval knights would renew their vow to chivalry by placing their hands on a peacock. The annual “Peacock Vow” would take place at the end of the year, as a resolution to maintain their knightly values.
By the 17th century, New Year’s resolutions were so common that folks found humor in the idea of making and breaking their pledges. A Boston newspaper from 1813 featured the first recorded use of the phrase “New Year resolution.” The article states:
“And yet, I believe there are multitudes of people, accustomed to receive injunctions of new year resolutions, who will sin all the month of December, with a serious determination of beginning the new year with new resolutions and new behaviour, and with the full belief that they shall thus expiate and wipe away all their former faults.”
In the United States, New Year’s resolutions are still a tradition, but the types of resolutions have changed. “As a legacy of our Protestant history, resolutions in the early 1900s were more religious or spiritual in nature, reflecting a desire to develop stronger moral character, a stronger work ethic, and more restraint in the face of earthly pleasures.”
My favorite folklore is the onion story. Get twelve onions. Between 11:00 p.m. and midnight on New Year’s Eve cut off the tops and scoop out a depression in the centers. Get out your compass and line the onions in an east-west orientation. Place an equal amount of salt in each depression. (Then explain to your fellow partiers why you smell like an onion!)
Don’t look at the vegetables until the next morning. The salt has dissolved to varying degrees in each onion. The more water in each onion the wetter the corresponding month will be in the coming year. After this, carefully add potatoes and other root veggies, rub with olive oil and spices and bake. Whether the onions are right or wrong, you’ll have a nice New Year’s Day feast. Well you might have missed this annual ritual this year, but grab those onions for next year. So would they make a good Christmas gift to for those who want to try out this little experiment??
Wedsworth would like to thank Joe and Mike and whoever shovels and clears the sidewalks and streets to make it a little safer out there. It is a thankless job, especially when it is Cold out there. We however appreciate it to the 9th degree. So thanks a bundle to all of you.
We thought we could celebrate National Cuddle Day by cuddling down in a nice comfy chair with a warm blanket and hot drink with a great book. If you would like to join in, stop on by the library and check out a book or two or three so you don’t have to venture out in the cold and snow. Wedsworth wishes all a great New Year ahead.