Featured Holiday – New Years

NEW YEAR’S DAY – is celebrated on January 1st. It was not always celebrated on this day…or even in the month of January. Up until the time of Julius Caesar, the Romans celebrated the new year in March. Caesar decided to change the Roman New Year’s Day to January 1st in honor of Janus (a Roman god). Janus was always described as having two faces – One looking back to the past, and one looking forward to the future. Constantine took over the Roman empire and excepted Christianity. He decided to keep New Year’s Day on January 1st, but he turned it into a day of fasting and prayer instead of maintaining the usual “party” day. Not everyone agreed with the first day of January as New Year’s Day. In 1582 Great Britain and the British Colonies in America still observed the month of March for the beginning of the new year. It wasn’t until 1752 that Great Britain and it’s Colonies embraced the new Gregorian calendar. That is when January 1st became more widely accepted as the “official” New Year’s Day. There are still countries that do not embrace this as the beginning of a new year. They are mostly countries that still use the Julian calendar.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

New Years Eve Party Recipes:

BRUCHETTA

10 plum tomatoes diced
3 cloves minced garlic
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
French or Italian bread slices

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients except bread; set aside. Toast slices of French or Italian bread. Serve tomato mixture, room temperature in a bowl with a spoon and lots of toasted bread slices. ENJOY!

Champagne Fruit Punch

Ice Blocks
24 ounces pineapple juice
2 T. lime juice
One bottle champagne
1 quart lemon, pineapple, or other flavored sherbet

Chill all ingredients. Place ice blocks in bowl. Add juices to bowl. Stir in champagne and scoops of sherbet just before serving.

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