Jan 01 2009
Days of note in January
Happy 2009, everyone! May the new year be a challenging yet fulfilling one for us all…
If you happen to be traveling to Malaysia, Switzerland or the USA this January, here are some dates you might want to keep in mind, which may enhance or detract from your travel experience!
1st January: New Year’s Day (CH, MY, USA)
Almost everyone gets this day off, probably because if they didn’t, they’d be phoning in sick from all the partying the night before, LoL! In the USA, there’s the famous dropping of the ball at Times Square, and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve show. Never having marked the occasion in Switzerland, I will only hazard a guess that there are also numerous fireworks and parties held to ring in the new year.
 2008 fireworks Originally uploaded by bleublogger |
In Malaysia, it’s now a new tradition to have a fireworks display in KLCC, Bukit Bintang and I think Dataran Merdeka at the stroke of midnight. I attended it once, and never again. The LRT stations were overwhelmed, cars were stuck in a gridlock everywhere, and rivers of people were streamed everywhere once the show was over. Did I ever mention I’m not a fan of crowds? Ugh!
2nd January: Saint Berchtold (CH)
Fourteen cantons in Switzerland take a day off for this rather mysterious holiday. I say mysterious because it seems the liturgical calendar has no saint of that name. It turns out that Berchtold is actually the male counterpart of the female goddess Perchta, guardian of animals, who also visits during the twelve days of Christmas to check whether girls had spun their allocation of flax or wool for the year. Perchta’s festival day used to be celebrated on 6th January, until it was replaced by the Epiphany.
 This photo originally uploaded by acme |
6th January: Epiphany (CH)
Falling on the twelfth day of Christmas, Epiphany is a Christian feast day that celebrates either the visit by the three Magi of the baby Jesus (Western Christians) or the baptism of said baby in the Jordan River (Eastern Christians). Both signify the manifestation to the world of Jesus as the son of God.
During the Christmas season leading up to this day, it is traditional in Switzerland and most of Europe to partake of a galette/gâteau des Rois (the cake of Kings) where a trinket is baked into the cake; whoever gets the lucky piece of cake with the trinket is deemed king for the day and gets to wear a funny hat.
 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Originally uploaded by dbking |
19th January: Martin Luther King, Jr Day (USA)
Honors the prominent leader in the American civil rights movement who was assassinated in 1968. He is most famous for his “I Have a Dream” speech, given in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. You can read the full text by clicking the MLK image to the left.
 Barack Obama Originally uploaded by Llima |
20th January: Inauguration Day (USA)
After his historical win on 4th November 2008, Barack Obama will be officially sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America on this day. As I had mentioned elsewhere, this day is a federal public holiday for federal employees in Washington D.C., and border counties of Maryland and Virginia, in order to ease congestion surrounding this event. However, I anticipate celebrations to be held all over the country (all over the world, too, probably!), especially here in Chicago. Another party in Grant Park, anyone?
26 & 27 January: Chinese New Year (MY, also CH & USA)
Usually falls between end-Jan and mid-Feb, due to being on a lunar calendar (with corrections to “fit” with the solar year). This year we will be welcoming the Earth Ox in a Fire year.
 Waiting - 猛龍 - Fierce Dragon Originally uploaded by avlxyz |
This is a cultural, not religious, festival; as such, it is celebrated by Chinese who happen to also be Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, etc, and is the most important “homecoming”/ “family get together” event for the Chinese.
It is a time for red “Ang Pow”, fire crackers and lion dances. When I was younger, the traditional CNY greeting was Kong Hee Fatt Choy. Now it’s Gong Xi Fa Chai. They all mean the same: wishing someone prosperity in the new year.
The uniquely Malaysian “Open House” concept of having friends drop by for festive food and fellowship is usually practiced. Chinese communities in large cities in Switzerland and USA will also mark the occasion with processions and of course, the lion or dragon dance.
I’m really glad I came up with this idea of taking a closer look at the public holidays and festivals of Malaysia, Switzerland and the USA - I’ve learned a few new things, and I hope you have too. What a rich tapestry of life we weave, and I’m only using three countries as my thread!
happy new year to you too. may the new year bring you more happiness and blessings.
I hope you have a Xin Nian Kuai Le or happy new year.
Happy New Year my friend. I am looking forward to the inauguration and Chinese New Year. I saw the CNY celebrations first hand while in Hong Kong and it was spectacular.
Thanks everyone!
Kilax> I’m sure Chicago’s Chinatown organises something every year, come on down!! (just looked it up: they will be having the parade on February 1st, 1pm, on Wentworth from 24th St. to Cermak Rd.)
Jo> I can only imagine how spectacularly they would celebrate CNY in HK! I bet it was a great experience!!
Update!! Thanks to lina, I just found out about another festival:
What is Ponggal? Ponggal is the only festival of Hindu that follows a solar calendar and is celebrated on the fourteenth of January every year. Ponggal is a “thanks giving” festival for a good harvest. The main feature of this festival is the boiling of milk in a clay pot until it overflows when the family members gathered round the pot shout, “Ponggal Oh Ponggal” and add rice to it. In Tamil Ponggal means boiling and overflowing.