"Fall has always felt like a time for fresh starts to me....a much more natural place for the New Year to begin. Maybe it is a hold out from childhood when summer came to a close and a fresh school year began with new teachers, a special outfit or two and a handful of pencils sharpened to a lethal point.
Maybe it is left over from earlier religious roots…the Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Persians all marked the Fall Equinox as the New Year. In between Cleopatra’s visits…micro-manager Julius Caesar switched everyone from the sporadic lunar calendar to the solar calendar…added January and February…and named January 1st as the official start of the year.
The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, still falls sometime during September and October…163 days after Passover begins. I love the holiday’s renewing ritual of Tashlikh…traditionally performed the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah. Prayers are recited near naturally flowing water and bread or pebbles are thrown into the water to symbolically cast away sins, mistakes and regrets…and the year begins anew."
From "Warm Hearth: Comforting Love-filled Recipes for family, Friends, and Cozy Fireplace Afternoons," available on Amazon.com
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