Let's drink a cup of kindness yet to days of Auld Lang Syne

Another year has come and gone as we made one more crazy, sometimes fantastic and sometimes sad trip around the sun. Never mind my personal life I have done so much this year. I officially kicked started my business, not selling much but enough to say I can do this. I started a blog. I apologize if it sometimes seems disorderly, and poorly written, I am working on it. That and my head is a bundle of over a thousand years of human history and fiber arts, and cooking, oh and song lyrics. Things are sometimes a bit muddled. So now I am going into the year of the sheep (I am taking that as a good sign for the year) and continuing to do what I love.

New Year is amazing. We set new goals for ourselves,  some we succeed in and some we don't.  By today's calendar we mark it as January 1st. The Chinese mark it this year on February 15, 2015 and as I said before this year will be the year of the sheep.

Even today depending on what calendar you look today is very different days. Today is December 30, 2014 by the Gregorian calender. Today we use the Julian Gregorian calender which sets the the first of the New Year as January 1st.  The earliest Gregorian calender set the first of the new year as March 25.

Viking calender was by the lunar months, a common occurrence across cultures.  Others were set by the seasons, often set the planting of the fields starting a new year. Some set more by the stars. While others were determined by what we today call the solstices, four in total. Winter solstice today lands on December 21st and in the northern hemisphere is the shortest day of the year. It is thought that the hedges found scattered throughout England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and even a few in France were built by the Druids of the ancient Celts to help mark the summer and winter solstices.  The actual reason behind them is as big a mystery as the druids themselves.

So no matter what calender you go by have a Happy New Year. Here is to the hope it brings, the knowledge,  and best of all the friends who come with it.