The Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, celebrating the start of the year 5775 begins tonight at sundown. Whether or not you are Jewish, I vote that you do something celebratory tonight or tomorrow. Let me tell you why.
My Little Flower Shop wishes everyone a Happy New Year: L’Shanah Tovah!
Many cultures have New Year’s traditions and rituals, and most of them are fun and involve tasty food. In addition to this Jewish celebration, there’s the Persian holiday Nowrooz, all the variants on the Lunar New Year across Asian cultures, and America’s own version with Dick Clark in Times Square. Why not have everyone celebrate everything? What better way to foster understanding and cross cultural togetherness? Plus- New Years times four or five sounds fun doesn’t it? Who’s in? Start tomorrow with some apples and honey for a sweet new year.
A wedding florist? Busy for Labor Day? Yes- Rosh Hashanah too! But no matter where I go, I can’t get events out of my head. A backyard barbecue? I’m mentally measuring the place for tables. A High Holiday service? I’m picking out the perfect spot for a chuppah,
A huppah covered in roses, hydrangea, succulents, lisianthus, mums, and beautiful greenery
and how My Little Flower Shop would decorate the aisles. It never turns off ! We are event designers 24/7, even on vacation. (Do you know what kind of charity ball you could throw at The Louvre?) So I go with it, and know that in the end it can only benefit the couples who come to seek out a wedding florist in Palm Springs. Here we are! The ideas never stop. Come on in.
Nowruz (Persian New Year) display (Photo credit: Ehsan Khakbaz)
After laying a big kiss on the first person handy, drunken revelers around the world will break into song tonight as their clocks ring in the New Year. The most popular tune, Auld Lang Syne, asks an important question in its very first line. Should people who’ve walked in and out of your life, and experiences of the past be forgotten, and never thought of? The song has a simple answer – no – for old times sake, think kindly on your life- the highs and the lows, friends and the foes (oy vey, I’m writing my own song. Sorry about that). At its core, Auld Lang Syne is a song about forgiveness. Through the year, we experience other new year’s celebrations in America. And interestingly enough, they have a thread of forgiveness running through them too. Here are three:
The Lunar New Year celebrated by many Asian cultures. One Chinese tradition, according to Wikipedia, is to “reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.”
Rosh Hashanah he Jewish New Year, is a time for reconciling, and apologies.
NowRooz, the Persian New Year, includes among many traditions “sa’at- tahvil…a most crucial moment in the life of the family, especially with regard to forgiving past failings, putting away petty frictions that would otherwise fester into conflicts, and looking forward to more constructive relations.”
So when you put on your party hat tonight, and contemplate midnight, think about who you might want to forgive. Oh yeah, and one more thing: think lip balm! Happy New Year everyone…
