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Gifts and new year : origin and history by Hôtel★★★ Gourmet restaurant Coco Lodge Majunga.

And we would like to give you the new year's Eve menu in the Gourmet Restaurant coconut Lodge Majunga :

Coffee or tea very gourmand way coconut Lodge

Speaking of gifts, We cannot dispense with back, not to the Greeks, but at least in the Romans, inventors of this use. The first place of Roman history teaching us this custom is of Symmachus, former author, that tells us that it was introduced under the authority of King Tatius Sabinus, who received the first the verbena (Verbena) the sacred wood of the goddess Strenia, for the good omen of the new year.
Is that the Romans imaginassent something divine in the verbena, either they were referred on behalf of this goddess Strenia, in the wood from which they took the verbena, with the word of strenuus, which means valiant and generous : also the word strena, which means opens, is sometimes written strenua among the ancient, to testify that it was strictly people value and merit that was intended this present, and those with any divine mind promised more by the vigilance by the instinct of a happy omen.

After that time, It came to the present of figs, dates and honey, as wish to friends that he came nothing nice and low for the rest of the year. Then the Romans, leaving their first simplicity, and changing their gods of wood in the gods of gold and silver, began to be also more beautiful in their present, and will send this day there different kinds, more considerable and ; but they were particularly sending currencies and silver medals, finding that they had been very simple, in previous centuries, to believe that honey was sweeter than money, as Ovid does nicely say to Janus.

With the present, they wanted to each other any kind of happiness and prosperity for the rest of the year, and gave themselves reciprocal testimonies of friendship : and as they took as much empire in religion than in the State, they failed not to make laws affecting the, and made this day there a feast day, they dedicated and devoted especially to the God Janus, What are represented with two faces, one before and one behind, like looking at the past year and the next. It was the day of sacrifice, and the people went in droves to mount Tarpee, where Janus had someone ' altar, dressed in new dresses.
Nevertheless, Although it was a party, and even a solemn Feast, Since it was still dedicated to Juno, who had all the early days of months under his protection, the people did not remain without doing anything ; each began working at something of his profession, in order to not be lazy the rest of the year.
Finally, the use of the gifts became gradually so common under the emperors, that all the people going to wish a happy new year to the Emperor, and each bore him his money now, According to its power. Auguste in received so much, what he was accustomed to buy and dedicate gold and silver idols, as generous, and does not apply to his particular benefit the gifts of his subjects.

Tiberius, his successor, who was in a darker mood and did not like the large companies, was absent express the first days of the year, to avoid the inconvenience of visits of the people, that would be rushed in droves to wish him a happy new year. These ceremonies were even so hard the people, the first six or seven days of the year, that he was forced to make an edict by which he defended gifts, past the first day. Caligula, who owned the empire immediately after Tiberius, made it known to the people, by an edict, that he would receive the gifts the day of the Calends of January, which had been rejected by his predecessor ; and for this purpose he stood all day in the lobby of his palace, where he received with both hands all the money and gifts that were offered to him by the people.
Claude, succeeded, abolished its predecessor had wanted to restore, and defended, by judgment, that it would point to him come from gifts, as it had done under Augustus and Caligula. Since that time, This custom still remained among the people. The Romans thought there's something divine in the beginnings.

Later, the Council of Auxerre, held in 587, defended to, the first day of the year, heifers or biches sacrifices and take vows before trees devoted to false gods. Gifts, attached to sacrifices, were truly evil.
When in France the year began again at Easter, continued on giving of gifts the first day of January ? It seems that Yes. In the letters of King John, dated July 1362 and containing the statutes for the brotherhood of the Drapers, It says 'that said brotherhood must Word the first Sunday after the estraines '., If one of our lady not y eschoit. » Sunday discussed here is the first Sunday of January, based on the testimony of Du Cange which, in his glossary, proves, by different passages, When the year began at Easter, It did not look at the first day of January as the first day of the year.
The old chronicle of Louis, Duke of Bourbon, count of Clermont, Grand chambrier of France reinforces this testimony. It reads in second chapter : "Clermont went said Duke Loys, came to his Duchy of Bourbonnois in Souvigny, where he arrived two days before Christmas, the year of grace 1363 ; and there vindrent by devers luis its Knights and Squires, and the fourth day of the holidays, said to the Knights, the Duke laughing : I will point you mercier of the goods that you have me faicts, as if now I you in merciois, you want go, and I would be one of the big deplaisances I could have… ; and I beg all you please be in the company the day of the year in my home town of Molins, and here I want to open my heart and my goodwill I want to have with you. »

And in the third chapter : 'Year running. 1363, as said is, happened that the eve of the day of the year was Duke Loys in his town of Molins, and his knighthood after him… ; and the day of the year, good morning, got the Nice Duke to collect its Knights and noble men to go to the Church of Notre-Dame de Molins ; and before Duke partist of his room, came them to try out a beautiful order that he had made, who will appeloit the ecu gold. » Section 5 reads finally : "If ordered them the Duke to God., and they took leave of him is left… Parties people's Court, then came the day of the Kings, where the Duke of Bourbon took great feste and lye-dear. »

Remember that if under the Merovingians, the year began on 1 March in many of our provinces, She debuted at Christmas under Charlemagne, in all territories subject to its jurisdiction. Under the Capetians, year's day coincided with the feast of Easter, almost general use in the middle ages. In some places, the year changed the 25 March, Feast of the Annunciation. The Council of Reims, held in 1235, mentions that date as the "use of France.. It is King Charles IX who made mandatory, en 1564, the date of January 1 as the origin of the year.
At the end of the 19th century, with the appearance of Santa Claus in stores advertising, the custom of offering gifts January 1 disappeared, the day of the gifts therefore confusing with that Christmas : He offered gifts the 25 December.

by Hôtel★★★ Restaurant gourmand Coco Lodge Majunga.