– by Valerie Green –
In the Gregorian Calendar, January 1st is the first day of the New Year and today it is possibly the most celebrated holiday in Canada with many associated traditions from around the world.
However, prior to the establishment of the Gregorian calendar, the new year began after the vernal equinox which was the first day of spring. It seemed more logical to begin a new year in spring which is generally thought of as the season of rebirth. January 1st has no particular significance other than the fact that in 153 BC the Romans decided that the new year should begin on that date. The date, however, was not firmly established until around 46 BC when Caesar ordered the observance of the Julian Calendar which would then be coordinated with the sun.
Nonetheless, many interesting things have happened on the first day of January throughout history.
Do you remember, for instance, that it was on January 1st, 1991 that the GST (Goods & Service Tax) was first introduced by then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s Conservative Government? A 7% tax paid at the cash register replaced the 13.5% federal manufacturer’s tax.
Also on January 1st, back in 1953, the National Library was first established in Ottawa. On January 7th, 1827, engineer and surveyor Sir Stanford Fleming was born in Fife, Scotland. He was the man who designed Canada’s first postage stamp in 1851 and was also responsible for inventing Universal Standard time zones which were finally accepted throughout the world by 1929. He was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1897.
Another interesting January date is January 22nd. It is the anniversary date of many births and deaths of famous people in history but none perhaps more relevant to the city of Victoria than the date in 1901 when 81-year-old Queen Victoria died. Although the Queen gave her name to our city, she never actually visited the area during her long lifetime. Her statue stands in front of the Legislative Buildings today and was the work of sculptor Bruce Joy. Its foundation stone was laid in 1919 by the then Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward VIII, the man who abdicated his throne for the woman he loved before he was even crowned.
Queen Victoria also gave her name to an age which we tend to associate with respectability, but looking between the lines and behind the scenes, the Victorian Age was often found to be anything but respectable!
Also on January 22nd (in 1992,) Canada’s first female astronaut, Dr. Roberta Bondar, became the first Canadian woman in space. During her mission from January 22nd to 30th aboard the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery, she performed many experiments in the space lab.
In essence, January is the month for new beginnings, when we make new resolutions which unfortunately we often break before the month is over. Nonetheless, may the year 2016 be good to us all as we hope for a kinder, more peaceful world in the months to come.
Happy New Year to one and all!
Valerie Green is a writer and historian and can be reached at valgee@shaw.ca.
