HERI NJEMA ZA MWAKA MPYA

Murphy Browne © January 2-2020


HERI NJEMA ZA MWAKA MPYA

“Heri njema za mwaka mpya!” is a Kiswahili greeting for the New Year. The New Year, 2020, the third decade of the 21st century was celebrated on January 1 at various times internationally. The New Year was first celebrated in the South Pacific island states of Samoa and Christmas Island/Kiribati. Samoa moved to New Year's Eve pole position in 2011 when it decided to redraw the international dateline. This made the islands’ inhabitants the first to greet 2020. Australians and New Zealanders were next in welcoming 2020. They were followed by several Asian countries, including Thailand, Japan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Then 2020 was welcomed in the Middle East and Europe before moving on to countries on the African continent including Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Somalia. The Americas (Central America, North America, South America) and the Caribbean islands were next. American Samoa was the last country to ring in the New Year 2020.

 The New Year is a time to observe traditions for many people. In New York City, more than a million people gathered in Times Square to ring in 2020 while watching the traditional “ball drop.” The tradition of gathering at Times Square in New York City to watch the popular "ball drop," began on December 31-1907, to welcome the year 1908. On December 31-2019 the revelers gathered in Times Square were following a 112-year tradition as they celebrated the 5,443-kilogram (12,000 pound) ball descend at the stroke of midnight to welcome 2020.

My New Year’s tradition is more than 112 years old. My ancestors traditionally welcomed the New Year with a pot of cook-up rice. I continue that tradition that began at least 212 years ago when the British abolished the slave trade on March 25-1807. In what was then British Guiana, (now the Co-operative Republic of Guyana,) my enslaved African ancestors knew that eventual freedom from chattel slavery was possible. Although complete freedom was not a reality until August 1-1838, the enslaved Africans lived in hope and celebrated the New Year by making a pot of blackeye-peas cook-up rice to welcome a new year of life.

Guyanese cook-up rice is not rice-and-peas, peas-and-rice or jollof rice. I have had some folks try to describe cook-up rice in those terms. Guyanese cook-up rice is a one-pot rice dish that traditionally incorporates various meats (like our pepperpot,) blackeye-peas and is traditionally simmered in coconut milk. Some Guyanese include callaloo (spinach) in their pot of cook-up rice. I prefer using channa (chickpeas) instead of black-eye peas but one of my grandchildren is allergic to channa. Shocking that a grandchild of Guyanese grandparents could be allergic to channa! I had to revert to blackeye-peas cook-up so that she could enjoy the traditional Old Year/New Year dish.

My grandchildren and I had an interesting New Year conversation about the history of celebrating the New Year on January 1st. Several traditions that are taken for granted as the norm today are only a few hundred years old and the celebration of the New Year on January 1st is one of those traditions. When communities in Western Europe used the Julian calendar (inspired by Julius Caesar) during the Middle Ages, New Year's Day was moved several times. In 1582, the use of the Gregorian calendar (inspired by Pope Gregory XIII,) meant that a fixed date for New Year's Day was established as January 1. However, there are other people who celebrate New Year’s Day on different dates, including some Asian countries where the Lunar New Year is observed between January 20 and February 20. Some countries/cultures observe their traditional or religious New Year’s Day according to their customs. In Ethiopia and Eritrea, Enkutatash (New Year’s Day) is September 11, on Meskerem 1, the first day of the Ethiopian calendar. The Sotho people of Lesotho and South Africa celebrate Selemo sa Basotho (based on the Sotho calendar,) at the beginning of August during the end of the winter season.

The influence of Western European culture on the world has made January 1 the international New Year’s Day. Happy New Year to all those celebrating the New Year in January 2020. Heri njema za mwaka mpya!


Murphy Browne © January 2-2020