[00:00:09] It's here.
[00:00:10] It's New Year's Eve.
[00:00:13] You ever stop and think how bizarre it is that we all collectively get excited to flip to a new calendar page?
[00:00:23] I mean, there's just something magical about it.
[00:00:27] It's that moment when the ball drops, the fireworks burst, and the entire world pretends that we all hit a giant cosmic reset button all at once.
[00:00:42] But this ritual is global celebration of time.
[00:00:48] It's old.
[00:00:50] Like, really old.
[00:00:53] As in way before champagne toasts and glittery party hats old.
[00:01:00] Happy New Year right from the natural state. This is Public Facing New Year's Eve edition.
[00:01:19] Hello and welcome to Public Facing, the podcast, where culture and community meet.
[00:01:24] We're sharing everyday voices and extraordinary stories.
[00:01:28] I'm delighted that you're here and joined us today.
[00:01:31] I'm your host, Joe Holman.
[00:01:35] Welcome again to our New Year's special here on Public Facing the podcast, where for a few moments, we pause the indra scroll and dim the notifications and just breathe into this strange, beautiful ceremonial moment we call the New Year.
[00:01:55] There's something profoundly human about making time, about saying as a crowd and as a species and even as a civilization that, hey, we made it through and here we go again.
[00:02:15] But before we get back into who we are now, let's start with who we were in the very first New Year's. Most of us grew up thinking January 1st was always the plan, but it wasn't. Not even close.
[00:02:31] You see, in Ancient Babylon, around 4,000 years ago, the New Year did not start in the cold of winter.
[00:02:40] No, it began in spring, March.
[00:02:45] Aligned with planting season, renewal and new life.
[00:02:51] And their celebration, Akitu, lasted 11 days.
[00:02:56] Involved processions, rituals, even dramatic reenactments.
[00:03:03] Creation myths.
[00:03:05] Imagine that.
[00:03:07] 11 days of new Year's.
[00:03:11] So I'm not sure if I'm mathing this right, but.
[00:03:16] So 12 days of Christmas and 11 days of New Year's, and we think two hours of fireworks and hangovers is long now.
[00:03:29] Julius Caesar honoring Janus, the God of beginnings and endings, doorways and transitions.
[00:03:40] Janus had two faces. One looking back, one looking forward.
[00:03:46] Exactly the vibe that we're writing today.
[00:03:49] One eye on yesterday's lessons and one eye on tomorrow's promise.
[00:03:56] And yet we still carry those echoes.
[00:04:01] Now when the ball drops in Times Square, it's just one of thousands of celebrations happening around the globe.
[00:04:11] In Japan, the New year Shugatsu unfolds with a ritual and reverence as they ring the temple bells with 108 times at midnight, symbolizing the cleansing of 108 earthly desires.
[00:04:31] It's not just noise, it's spiritual recalibration.
[00:04:36] And in Spain, the tradition is devilishly delicious.
[00:04:43] Eat 12 grapes, one for each chime of midnight.
[00:04:49] And legend says good fortune follows in each month ahead.
[00:04:54] Many Americans attempt this. Many Americans fail to finish all 12.
[00:05:00] Many choke.
[00:05:01] It's like a fruit buffet, but with pressure.
[00:05:07] Now, in Scotland, they have Hogmanay. And the most charming superstition I've ever heard is the first footer.
[00:05:19] Whoever steps over your threshold first after midnight should ideally be a tall, dark haired man, a bearer of good luck.
[00:05:29] Sorry, redheads. No offense, Just ancient criteria.
[00:05:34] And every culture has its own twist, what with feasts, prayers, drumming, lanterns, midnight runs, cleansing baths in icy rivers, all woven from the same thread.
[00:05:51] Renewal.
[00:05:54] Now, food is more than nourishment, it's narrative.
[00:05:59] In Italy, lentils are eaten at midnight because their coin like shape symbolizes prosperity.
[00:06:08] In the American south, black eyed peas and collard greens show up on plates. Peas for coins, greens for dollar bills, making dinner both delicious and aspirational.
[00:06:24] In the Philippines, well, they've got round fruits everywhere, 12 of them representing abundance and cyclical completeness.
[00:06:38] Now, even if half the symbolism is superstition, the dinner table becomes a place where intention meets joy.
[00:06:49] And that's not small today, though.
[00:06:54] My. It's a. It's a global party, you know.
[00:06:59] But New Year's is more than just a spectacle. It's deeply personal.
[00:07:08] You know, we gather with friends and family and others and, you know, some of us, we. We light candles, some write letters. Others, like my weird neighbor John, are banging pots and pans out their window at midnight.
[00:07:23] Not for tradition, mind you, just to scare the other neighbor's animals.
[00:07:29] And let's talk resolutions.
[00:07:32] Yes, that beautiful delusional dance we do every single year.
[00:07:39] This is the year I'll drink more water, I'll go to the gym, I'll finally use that budget app I downloaded in 2019.
[00:07:48] I can't believe that we even look in the mirror and say that with a straight face.
[00:07:54] And then there's music, you know, the singing of Auld Lang Syne. You know that song that no one knows words to, but everyone cries during?
[00:08:08] Most of us sing with confidence for the first four lines and then make up the rest.
[00:08:14] It's literal meaning.
[00:08:18] Wait for it for old times sake. Yeah, that one. It literally means old long since.
[00:08:28] As in for the sake of old times.
[00:08:31] Which, let's be real, is exactly the kind of vibe you want after your fourth glass of sparkling cider and a Year full of plot twists.
[00:08:44] Now, let's. Let's zoom in here.
[00:08:46] Not the panoramic, but the.
[00:08:50] The world Atlas customs, no, but the tiny, intimate ones.
[00:08:57] You see the neighbor who says their blessings out loud at midnight.
[00:09:02] The friend who lights a candle for absent loved ones.
[00:09:07] The person who writes down their shortcomings from your past and ceremonially burns them.
[00:09:14] Simultaneously symbolic and a fire hazard if done indoors.
[00:09:21] So stop, drop, and roll. Burn responsibly.
[00:09:25] Now, one couple I know does this ritual every year where they use a paper shredder instead of fire.
[00:09:33] It's safer, they say, and quieter for the building manager.
[00:09:39] And these personal traditions might not make good guidebooks, but they are how we anchor meaning in the chaos, so we see what's been done. Now let's maybe consider looking at what not to do.
[00:09:59] Like most traditions come with a little don't.
[00:10:04] In many cultures, sweeping after midnight is frowned upon. Literally sweeps away your good luck before it even arrives.
[00:10:13] In some places, wearing black is avoided, believed to attract misfortune.
[00:10:20] Now, in parts of Asia, using sharp objects at the stroke of midnight, knives, scissors is thought to cut off good luck.
[00:10:32] So if you find yourself extonentially pondering whether to open that wrapped pair of scissors at 12:01, you know, maybe just wait till January 2nd, just in case.
[00:10:50] Now music matters.
[00:10:53] And every New Year's Eve around the world, there's a soundtrack.
[00:11:00] It's gorgeous, nostalgic, bittersweet.
[00:11:07] The perfect emotional cocktail for a moment where we honor what was and tentatively hope for what will be.
[00:11:18] Now, right now, here we are, you and me.
[00:11:24] Slow down, let's take a breath, look back at your year.
[00:11:34] Not just the highlights. Those are great, but not just the highlights. Let's look back to that. The messy, the painful, and the humbling parts.
[00:11:48] What did you learn this year?
[00:11:54] Who surprised you?
[00:11:58] What did you let go of this year?
[00:12:03] Another big one. Where did you surprise yourself?
[00:12:10] All right, so here we are. We've. We've looked back.
[00:12:16] Now let's. Let's look forward.
[00:12:19] Not in a, you know, checklist, goal way, but in a quiet, promise way.
[00:12:28] What feels true to carry forward.
[00:12:31] What feels vital, what feels like you.
[00:12:37] Not a resolution, but an intention.
[00:12:41] Not a must, but a direction.
[00:12:46] You see, this is where tradition meets individual meaning.
[00:12:52] Not fireworks, not internal light.
[00:13:02] And you, I want to tell you, I am very thankful for you, my favorite listener. You and I, our time together, they're wonderful.
[00:13:20] And I'm grateful for you being an integral part of my journey, moving public, facing the podcast forward.
[00:13:28] And I'm Hopeful that this episode has inspired a deeper sense of release and renewal in your life.
[00:13:38] I've enjoyed our time together so much.
[00:13:42] And this is it for today's episode of Public Facing, the podcast where culture and community meet.
[00:13:53] Feel free to connect with us on our x
[email protected] public facing pod and you can send in any comments or heck, even just send me a hello at hello at Public Facing Pod Stream.
[00:14:12] Know this?
[00:14:14] Yes, you.
[00:14:15] You are the very best part of Public Facing.
[00:14:20] I want you to join us for a brand new session.
[00:14:26] A brand new year session.
[00:14:30] I can't wait to hear from you.
[00:14:34] And here's the coolest part.
[00:14:37] Okay, listen, if you got nothing else, get this.
[00:14:42] Traditions.
[00:14:43] They aren't static.
[00:14:46] They don't fossilize.
[00:14:48] A fossil only tells us what was in the past. It doesn't turn into something new in the future.
[00:14:56] But traditions, as they don't fossilize, they transform.
[00:15:02] They breathe life into a situation.
[00:15:07] This year, people will catch countdowns in person, on live streams, from apps across time zones, through VR headsets, and in socially distanced park gatherings and family living rooms.
[00:15:28] You know the list.
[00:15:31] The list does go on and on.
[00:15:34] Now some will dance under fireworks. And some will share a quiet moment.
[00:15:44] Some might even share as they text friends halfway across the world at midnight.
[00:15:50] We're connecting old and new.
[00:15:56] We are the generation that broadcast Tokyo to Toronto, that watches Rio to Reykjavik, that simultaneously eat grapes and share gifts of dancing llamas at midnight.
[00:16:16] I'm not sure who sent that to me, but thank you.
[00:16:20] Not because we're confused, okay?
[00:16:25] But because we're creative.
[00:16:30] We take tradition and we make it ours.
[00:16:37] So as the clock strikes midnight, whether you're surrounded by crowds or wrapped in a blanket on your couch, whether you're laughing, crying, praying, or even contemplating, remember this New Year's isn't just a date on a calendar.
[00:17:07] It's a collective heartbeat.
[00:17:10] It's a shared breath between what was and what's possible.
[00:17:20] Happy New Year.
[00:17:23] May your year be filled with kindness, curiosity, connection, and maybe, just maybe, a little mischief.
[00:17:38] Thanks for listening. And until next time, join us in the new year for a brand new season. I can't wait to hear from you.
[00:17:46] Share those everyday voices and extraordinary stories.
[00:17:51] Keep things upright and public.
[00:17:54] Face it, Sam.
[00:18:27] Sa.
