Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1898 — NEW YEAR'S IN EUROPE. [ARTICLE]

NEW YEAR'S IN EUROPE.

The Day Holds a Prominent Place in the Popular Calendar. In Europe New Year’s day holds a prominent place in the popular calendar. For many centuries past it has been the custom of northern nations to watch the going out of the old year and the coming in of the new with demonstrations of merriment and conviviality. It is a rare case that an English family fails to sit up on the last night of the old year with a few intimate friends, awaiting the stroke of the midnight hour. The day is observed by a few visits among nearest relatives and intimate friends, but most particularly by festive family gatherings in the evenings. The custom of making presents on New Year’s day has become almost obsolete in England. That is now almost entirely confined to Christmas day. The observance of New Year’s day as a holiday fell almost into oblivion, with the exception of the few simple remembrances mentioned above. In business life the day is observed as a legal holiday—“bank holiday,” as they call it—but even that is confined almost exclusively to large wholesale houses. The retail trade is carried on as briskly as on every other day of the year. The first day of the year is observed in France in a very different way, particularly in Paris, where to this day the custom of giving presents is kept up with surprising vigor. The streets of the beautiful capital present a very lively and picturesque appearance. Innumerable carriages, from the humble one horse cab to the elegant landau, with liveried servants, drawn by fiery steeds, crowd every thoroughfare. They are filled with well-dress-ed men and loaded with fragrant flowers. Large social gatherings, balls and receptions, public and private, bring the auspicious day to a festive conclusion. In Germany calls are made among relatives and intimate friends only, except that in the ponderous bureaucratic system of Germany every Government officer is expected to call on sonielwdy above him in rank. Presents are not exchanged on New Year's day—that is exclusively confined to Christmas day. As Rome gave the name to the first month in the calendar year, so Rome also gave the custom of making presents on the first day of the year. A very innocent little pastime it was in the beginning, but in these days of modern ideas it has expanded and is expanding until now the most valuable and elaborate gifts are used as an exchange of friendly sentiment.