Finding God through the New Year's noise and revelry

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ma.Eugenia
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Ma.Eugenia

Guest
In my country, New Year is celebrated with a lot of noise and boisterous merry-making. Here, it is a yearly tradition to pop big and small firecrackers as we wait for the clock to strike 12 midnight. Firecrackers in many forms are widely available and can be affordable. The more noise, it seems, the happier people are.

I’ve watched on television, New Year’s celebrations in other countries, and I know it can be very noisy and happy as in my country.

I have two questions:
  1. How do you usher in the New Year in your country?
and
  1. Does anyone here have a suggestion on how we can celebrate the New Year better—as good Catholics?
Btw, HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! 😃
 
Ma. Eugenia:
Does anyone here have a suggestion on how we can celebrate the New Year better—as good Catholics?
Click to expand...
Find a Eucharistic adoration chapel and be in it at midnight. Happy New year to you too 🙂
 
Living in Los Angeles County, California, means New Year’s Eve is always noisy. Illegal fireworks. Gunshots into the sky.

I have 3 cats, who need to be reassured through all this noise. So once again this New Year’s Eve will see me at home, with my cats. I will do prayerful reading as I comfort the cats, and go to be about 1 AM
 
I’ll be in bed asleep at midnight. Some of our neighbors will pro’ly be blowing off fireworks, but I’ll have my good ear buried in the pillow, and hopefully I won’t hear them. I have to get up at 0530 to make 0630 Mass and then go to work, so I really want to be sawing logs at midnight.
 
Ma.Eugenia said:
In 1) How do you usher in the New Year in your country?

and
  1. Does anyone here have a suggestion on how we can celebrate the New Year better—as good Catholics?
Btw, HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! 😃
Click to expand...
  1. usually people get drunk and drive around killing each other or innocent people
  2. just got invited to a New Years Eve party which will culminate with praying the rosary at midnight, a tradition this family started when their children were young (and before the Baptist wife converted).
in some parts of the country, mainly the south, people eat black eyed peas for luck

some of Irish heritage eat colcannon, mashed potatoes with cabbage, in which are hiding a coin, a ring, a baby doll etc., so what you get tells your fortune for the year.

down here among many of Mexican heritage some people eat 12 grapes at midnight for good luck

we are also very big on fireworks, it will be the biggest firework selling time of the year, we also have fireworks on Christmas, Independence day, and 5 Mayo.
 
Here in South Australia in the main, illegal fireworks and very loud parties everywhere. Lots of alcohol and revelry.
I never attend New Year’s Eve Parties and try to spend the night alone. I sometimes watch the New Year Celebrations from our Sydney Harbor Bridge on TV at midnight… and midnight users in the lst. January and the Feast of Mary, Mother of God, and a Holy Day of Obligation.

Blessings for this Christmas Season and the coming New Year of 2008…Barb:)

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/8/8_6_43.gif
 
Hi everyone!

Thanks for your replies.

I think the suggestion of **b_justb, Andruschak, DaveBj **to
1. go to Eucharistic adoration chapel,
2. to have prayerful reading and
3. go to mass
…are great ideas. What better way to usher in the New Year than to be in conversation with our Lord.

I think, praying at home will be the best option for me. Though, it may be a bit difficult for me to concentrate in my prayers as I live in a crowded place and the noise can be really be loud especially as 12 o’clock midnight approaches…but I will try very hard.

I would love to go to the Eucharistic Adoration or to mass during New Year’s Eve, but, practically every household in my street will be out throwing stuffs that blows up uncaringly that passersby will be passing by (no, they don’t target people, some just don’t care to warn people that they just lighted something thats about to explode nearby) …I might suffer physical harm just going out trying to get to church.

Besides this, some neighbors who use firecrackers would point their flying firecrackers away from their house as directed, unfortunately, “away from their house” sometimes means towards our house. That is why my mom doesn’t want to leave our house during that time.

People can be really lost in their revelry at that time. :rolleyes: But…firecrackers and noise are part of our yearly traditions, so every year we expect it.

puzzleannie, thanks for sharing your New Year’s traditions. I’ve heard of colcannon—I saw it in one of my mom’s recipe books (made by a Filipino cook)on International cuisine. You have very interesting traditions. 🙂

In my country, many people buy fruits that are round and wear polka dot clothes—to represent "money"for prosperity.

Anyway, my sister and her kids will be staying with us for Media Noche and overnight stay (Note: Media Noche is New Year’s eve dinner–as opposed to Noche Buena which is Christmas eve dinner, just for your info on our Filipino traditions…😉 )…so I am happy to have them at home.

I do intend to attend mass by New Year’s Day when everything has quieted down. Going to the Adoration Chapel will be something new for me to do this year. 🙂

Thank you, BarbaraTherese for reminding me that New Years Day is the Feast of Mary, Mother of God..
👍

Wishing all, happiness and prosperity in their spiritual life this 2008! HAPPY NEW YEAR! :love:
 
Ma.Eugenia said:
In my country, New Year is celebrated with a lot of noise and boisterous merry-making. Here, it is a yearly tradition to pop big and small firecrackers as we wait for the clock to strike 12 midnight. Firecrackers in many forms are widely available and can be affordable. The more noise, it seems, the happier people are.

I’ve watched on television, New Year’s celebrations in other countries, and I know it can be very noisy and happy as in my country.

I have two questions:
  1. How do you usher in the New Year in your country?
and
  1. Does anyone here have a suggestion on how we can celebrate the New Year better—as good Catholics?
Btw, HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! 😃
Click to expand...
Thankfully–The Solemnity of Mary is celebrated on January 1st…so it is a perfect way to bring in the new year…we are planning to go to Church the night before (NY’s Eve) and then we will come back home, and have some appetizers…and wait for the ‘ball to drop’ on one of the tv shows. I have done ‘noisy’ before, and frankly…it has always been the best New Year’s when we have celebrated quietly as a family at home…or we also might see a movie together as a family…we shall see.

I would like us all to pray when we get home before midnight, and together, have a family goal for 2008, and individual goals. Not resolutions, but spiritual and other goals for 2008–and we will put them into a hat, and read them out loud–not sharing who wrote what. The person who wrote it will know who’s it is…I think that should also be enjoyable for the kids.

I wish you and everyone here a safe, healthy, and holy new year!🙂
 
whatevergirl said:
Thankfully–The Solemnity of Mary is celebrated on January 1st…so it is a perfect way to bring in the new year…we are planning to go to Church the night before (NY’s Eve) and then we will come back home, and have some appetizers…and wait for the ‘ball to drop’ on one of the tv shows. I have done ‘noisy’ before, and frankly…it has always been the best New Year’s when we have celebrated quietly as a family at home…or we also might see a movie together as a family…we shall see.

I would like us all to pray when we get home before midnight, and together, have a family goal for 2008, and individual goals. Not resolutions, but spiritual and other goals for 2008–and we will put them into a hat, and read them out loud–not sharing who wrote what. The person who wrote it will know who’s it is…I think that should also be enjoyable for the kids.

I wish you and everyone here a safe, healthy, and holy new year!🙂
Click to expand...
Great post, whatevergirl! 🙂
 
Ma.Eugenia said:
  1. How do you usher in the New Year in your country?
Click to expand...
Here in outback Western Australia, it seems that many people celebrate by having parties with loud music and a great deal of alcohol. They gather in the central intersection of the city, which has been blocked off by the police, for the countdown to the New Year, followed by a Fireworks Display paid for by the city. It is quite noisy.
Ma.Eugenia said:
  1. Does anyone here have a suggestion on how we can celebrate the New Year better—as good Catholics?
Btw, HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! 😃
Click to expand...
Our parish was concerned about this and in 2000, we instituted having a Holy Hour of Exposition, Adoration and Benediction from 11:00pm followed by Mass at Midnight. It is amazing how many people wander over from the centre of town to join us. The church is just a block away. This year, Exposition and Adoration will begin at 6pm and Midnight Mass will be celebrated by our Archbishop who is here ‘filling in’ for our 2 priests who are both away. (Gee, do we rate or what?)

It just feels so right to start the New Year in prayer and Adoration, with Mass rather than with a drunken orgy.
 
We really have so much to be totally thankful for - over-awed about - and to rejoice in…see Opening Post…
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=3138260#post3138260

How wonderful that your Archbishop is saying midnight Mass for you! Obviously you must rate it, or His Grace would not be there methinks:) …

It is the 31st here in South Australia at this moment at 2.07pm - Eve of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God…May Our Lady ever pray for and guide and guard The Church with us all and our world, with St. Joseph in this coming New Year…Heart of Jesus we trust you - be our strength and our path, our way, to The Father’s glory in The Holy Spirit. Amen…

Many blessings this coming year of 2008…Barb:)
 
Hi Linda Marie and BarbaraTherese,

I just saw the Australian fireworks and countdown in CNN–you do have beautiful firework displays.

My dad said that your country is 7 hours ahead of mine. As of now, we are still about 2 1/2 hours away from midnight.

Its great that many of your countrymen take time to think of God at this time. 🙂

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 😃
 
  1. How do you usher in the New Year in your country?
Click to expand...
Gotta stay home with kids these days. In the old days we’d go to a party. We would blow horns and stuff.
  1. Does anyone here have a suggestion on how we can celebrate the New Year better—as good Catholics?
Click to expand...
I imagine this is not what you were looking for, but I say go for a lot of noise and boisterous merry-making with your neighbors.
 
Scottgun said:
I imagine this is not what you were looking for, but I say go for a lot of noise and boisterous merry-making with your neighbors.
Click to expand...
I suppose people have different preferences.

For my family, we don’t go for firecrackers. We prefer to keep quiet during this time. Part of the happiness we get during this time is being with family and celebrating by eating nice food prepared by mom or our helper (many times I help too).

My family prayed last night. It was difficult because we had to say our prayers through the noise. I tried hard to concentrate on what I was saying.

But I was happy doing this coz, I felt that at the turn of the year, I was praying to the one and only Person who can do something about my hopes, wishes and dreams for the New Year…GOD.

When I wish “Hope this year will be a good and happy one”…it is only God who can help us make it so. So…I want to be talking to Him about it when the year turned. It was to me a good decision.

I was also praying that our house would not get burned as it is partly made of wood. In the news today there were many fires due to firecrackers.

When dad opened the door this morning New Year’s Day…there were spent parts of flying firecrackers inside the house premises. …most likely coming from our neighbors. I had asked God to protect us from harm…and now we are all safe.

New Year’s Day is about to end in my country. It was a happy day for my family here. We had a family reunion and went to mass. After that, the kids of my sisters played in the University field nearby that was alight with beautiful Christmas lights. 🙂

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and your family. 😃
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top