In the United States, we celebrate the New Year on January 1. But did you know that many other countries and cultures celebrate New Year on a different day? Today, March 21, 2019 is Nowruz, the Persian New Year. In Iran, new year begins with the advent of spring, and most everyone in the country observes it by doing a deep clean of their homes, celebrating a season of new life, and wishing for good luck in the year ahead. Would you like to find out more about other New Years around the world? Of course you would! You're a curious kid!
Every Month Is a New Year by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Susan L. Roth
Fittingly taking the shape of a calendar, this graceful grouping of more than a dozen poems showcases new year celebrations, both secular and religious, from across the globe and throughout the year. Lines from “Smashing the Pots,” about the Kemetic holiday of Wep Ronpet, crystallize the book’s intent: “Everyone believes in a different beginning./ But what is true and what is clear/ is that all of us hope for a luminous year.” The poems are framed by calendar-style grids filled with thematic collage elements, and dramatic scenes of shared meals (for Nowruz in Iran), flying kites (for Matariki in New Zealand), and other festivities appear in the main images above. Closing notes thoroughly explore the holidays Singer introduces, closing out a lovely collection that both looks back at tradition and forward to new beginnings, wherever one might live. [from Publishers Weekly]
