JANUARY..H@PPY N3W Y3@R!!

January was established as the first month of the year by the Roman calendar. It was named after the god Janus ( Latin word for door). Janus has two faces which allowed him to look both backwards into the old year and forward into the new one at the same time. He was the 'spirit of the opening'.
In the very earliest Roman calendars, there were no months of January or February at all. The ancient Roman calendars had only ten months and the new year started on the 1 March. To the Romans, ten was a very important number. Even when January (or Januarius as the Romans called it) was added, the New Year continued to start in March. It remained so in England and her colonies until about 200 years ago.
The Anglo-Saxons called the first month Wolf monath because wolves came into thevillages in winter in search of food.

NEW YEARS DAY

New years day is the first day of the year, in the Gregorian calendar. In modern times it is January 1. It is a time for looking forward and wishing for a good year ahead. It is also a holiday.
People welcome in the New Year on the night before. This is called New Years Eve. In Scotland, people celebrate with a lively festival called Hogmanay. All over Britain, there are parties, fireworks, singing and dancing, to ring out the old year and ring in the new year. As the clock, Big Ben strikes midnight, people link arms and sing a song called Auld Lang Syne. It reminds them of old and new friends.

THE DOOR CUSTOM

The old days, the New Year started with a custom called 'first footing', which was supposse to bring good luck for the people for the coming year. As soon as midnight has passed and January 1 has started, people used 2 wait behind their doors for a dark haired person to arrive. The visitor carried a piece of coal, some bread, some money and some greenery. These were all for good luck-the coal to make sure the house wood always be warm, the bread to make sure everyone in the house would have enough food to eat, money so that they would have enough money, and the greenery to make sure they had a long life.
The visitor would then take a pan of dust or ashes out of the house with him, thus signifying the departure of the old year.

NEW YEAR SUPERSTITION

The 1st of January was a highly significant day in a medieval superstitiona regarding prosperity, or lack of it, in the year ahead. A flat cake was put on one of the horns of a cow in every farmyard. The farmer and his workers would then sing a song and dance around the cow until the cake was thrown to the ground. If it fell infront of the cow that signified good luck; to fall behind indicated the opposite.

UNLUCKIEST DAY OF THE YEAR

It was an old Saxon belief that 2nd January was one of the unluckiest day of the whole year. Those unfortunate enough would be born on this day could expect to die an unpleasant death.

COLDEST MONTH AND DAY OF THE YEAR

January regularly produces frost, ice and snow and it is the chilliest month of the year in Britain.
St. Hilary's feast day on 13th January has gained the reputation of being the coldest day of the year due to past cold events starting on or around this date.
One of the most severe winters in history began around 13th January in 1205, when the Thames in London froze and ale and wine turned to solid ice and were sold by weight.

3V3RY BODY

GETS

@ CHANC3 2

BORN

YOU C@N T@K3 !T @S

A L3SSON L3ARNED

th3 world !s !n your h@nds,
n3w b3g!nn!gs s!t @top,
th3 tr33 of l!f3 th@t,
g!v3s b!rth to 3@ch mom3nt,
th@t pr3s3nts !ts3lf non-stop..