‘And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from' – TS Eliot 

The end of Dec 31 marked the end of 2024 and the beginning of the New Year 2025.  People, in many countries, all over the world celebrate January as the beginning of the New Year. As we enter the second week of January, celebrations are almost over. 

Interestingly, the Romans derived the name for the month of January from their god Januarius who had two faces, one looking backwards and the other forward. It symbolises the end and beginning, among a few other symbolic meanings.

The earliest recorded festivities of a New Year’s arrival date back to around 4,000 years in ancient Babylon. 

New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. A number of countries use calendars that begin the new year on different dates. Many countries celebrate two New Years. One on January 1, and another one a traditional new year.

The most popular New Year’s tradition, since 1907, is the dropping of a giant ball in New York City’s Times Square at the stroke of midnight. It signifies the exact moment at which the New Year begins and draws large crowds. Other common customs worldwide include watching fireworks and singing songs to welcome the New Year. 

There are many interesting New Year's traditions around the world. In Scotland, New Year's Eve is called ‘Hogmanay’ which is a popular custom with people visiting friends and neighbours' houses just after midnight. The first person who visits brings a gift as this means good luck. In Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela and some other Central and South American countries, people wear special underwear of different colours on New Year's Eve. Red is supposed to bring love and yellow is to bring money. 

Symbolic food is often part of the festivities. In Spain, it’s the custom to eat 12 grapes on 31 December. One grape is eaten at each sound of the bell; each grape is supposed to bring good luck for each month of the year ahead. Many Europeans eat cabbage or other greens to ensure prosperity in the coming year. Throughout Asia, special food such as dumplings, noodles, and rice cakes are eaten for long life, happiness, wealth, and good fortune.

Though Bangladesh has its own Bangla New Year ‘Pohela Boishakh’ on 1 April, Bangladeshis also celebrate the New Year with zest and splendour. They get dressed up to attend parties, eat special food and make resolutions for the new year. 

The years 2020 and 2021 shook the world with COVID -19 pandemic that turned the world upside down. The ways of doing business and education changed dramatically. Our personal lives also had a roller coaster ride with isolations, lockdowns, deaths, heartaches, loss, fears, and failures. Amid these, we also had some beautiful moments to cherish. Acts of kindness from strangers were the highlights of those years. The selfless acts of health workers rekindled our faith in humanity. With the vaccine and preventive measures, we overcame quite a hurdle. Thus,2022-2023 was a little more relaxed. 

The year 2024 had record number of political turmoils worldwide with elections in more than 80 countries. 

The United Kingdom experienced a great shift in power with the Conservative dominance of 14 years being ousted by Labour party.

In Bangladesh the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was toppled by mass protests, leading to Hasina’s forced resignation. A Nobel laureate-led interim government was introduced.

Although, former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), emerged as the most voted party in Pakistan. he was unable to return to power.  The country faced continued uncertainty as political groups fought for power amidst continuous economic challenges.

In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin secured a fifth term with 87percent votes, but the election was widely criticized as exploited. 

Trump’s Return in the U.S. Presidential election was the most dramatic political show of the year. 

The deadlock in Russia-Ukraine conflict, situation in Gaza and the Middle East all led to a humanitarian disaster; casualties reached record high worldwide. 

The conflicts and climate change also led to displacement of people to other countries which have left an uncertain future for the refugees.

Although, in Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum becoming the first female and Jewish president is groundbreaking for gender and leadership; gender representation remains poor, with women occupying only 27percent of parliamentary seats worldwide.  

Unfortunately, press freedom was increasingly threatened in many parts of the world, and issues like inflation and housing became more important rather than the threatening issues of climate change.

Elections and other socio-economic factors faced manifold challenges.

The challenges of the year 2024 will continue to mould the political and social scenario of 2025, making the future uncertain. It is imperative that we might have to take another step back to recover again. But we, human beings, are indomitable. We have survived many catastrophes in the past and we will be able to do that again. All we need is a collective effort. We need to stand united in a common goal of harmony in the universe. 

Fortunately, whether it’s happiness or sorrow, all teach us that nothing is permanent. Everything is temporary and a combination of both of these brings balance to our lives. Though uncertainty and unpredictability are the flavours of life, instead of just focusing on the negatives, let’s focus on the positives. 

Although the pandemic and the political chaos have affected our lives, thankfully, we have learned precious life lessons. With a positive mindset, we can recuperate and become stronger to embrace the inevitable change and jump back to life again with vigour.

Life is a continuous rat race for materialistic gains. We have to focus on what really matters: protecting ourselves and our loved ones; recognise the importance of health; take care of our physical, emotional and mental health. We need to focus on the importance of a balanced diet, exercise, sleep and hygiene. We must understand that self-care isn't selfish because we can't help others if we aren't at our best. Life is short & fragile and the simple moments with family, friends and loved ones are priceless; it’s important to spend quality time with them. Even though some are far away, we can still be in touch with them through technology.

We have learned to be kind, the hard way, as the pandemic and wars lead us to frustrations, fear, depression and anger. We have realised the importance of kindness and compassion; being grateful for what we are blessed with, and to bring a smile on someone else's fac. We have also learned to be kind to everyone we meet and treat them with respect; to appreciate people around us, especially the healthcare and frontline workers.

Let us learn to live in the moment rather than make grand plans for the future; treasure even the simplest things in life and appreciate the beauty in this world of ours. Learning to live with less, and being happier with less, is certainly a silver lining in our lives.

With all the uncertainties, life has taught us to deal with life in our own way. See how we coped with education and work? We resorted to online education and work: It has given us faith to trust ourselves. We have become more confident, resilient and optimistic.

It’s customary to make resolutions for the New Year, that reflect the positive changes we hope to make for the year ahead.

Resolutions provide important goal settings which help us with a road map to a better life. It’s a self-improvement tool to help build good habits and get rid of bad habits. Resolutions help us reflect on our past, present and future. These serve as a catalyst for positive changes. 

Applying the lessons, we learn constantly can bring about pragmatic changes in our lives. We must also remember that we need to grow constantly. Along with the New Year’s resolutions, let’s strive to become a better, more beautiful version of ourselves by changing and incorporating some new habits.

Always remember to rejuvenate yourself by taking care of your mind, body, and soul every single day. Pursue your dreams-don’t be afraid of failure. Don’t let anyone stand in your way. Drive out toxic people who drain your energy and create self-doubts. Surround yourself with the right people. We’re human, we might mess up and that’s okay. Forgive yourself and learn from it.

Be grateful for every little blessing in your life. Gratitude increases happiness and helps shift your focus towards the good things in life. Say, ‘Thank You’ more often. Express gratitude to the people who have mentored, supported or helped you. Do this every single day.

Make new friends and nurture the old. 

People and their mindsets are different. Respect their views and opinions. 

Understand your own values and don’t stray from them. View your decisions as active choices, not sacrifices. 

Be ready for anything. Situations and environments change, and we adapt. The best example is the pandemic and the way we have adapted. Plan and act accordingly. But be mentally ready for the unpredictable.

Acknowledge that not everything is under your control. Maybe we can control our actions but we can’t control every event occurring in our lives. Don’t be afraid of adversity. It allows you to find out what you are capable of. Adversity is an opportunity. Grab it! Keep moving forward.

You will experience moments of sadness, anger, frustration and failure. Have a positive mindset to be happy. Smile more to feel happy. Be positive. The universe listens and will give you positivity in return. Drive away the negatives in life. 

Understand that the things that you really want in life will never be easy or quick. That’s why it’s important to constantly work at it and build up good habits. To achieve big goals, focus on small daily actions. Be optimistic, look for opportunities, find new strength and be resilient. 

Learn and grow constantly. Learning is a continuous process. We learn every day and this process should never stop!

New Year and new resolutions,
Time for betterment of life’s evolution;
Time to stop procrastination and unfold our determination. - TH

Whether it’s happiness or sorrow, all teach us that nothing is permanent. In a few days’ time, we will be welcoming New Year 2026. Make the best use of this year. 

Embrace the New Year 2025 with love, hope and grit to make it one of the best years of your life. Be grateful to those who were there for you during your hard times, be grateful to those who didn’t: they gave you a lesson in becoming self-reliant. Appreciate every little blessing in life.

May each day of 2025 start with a dazzling dawn. 

Happy New Year 2025! 

About Author:

Tasneem Hossain is a multilingual poet, columnist, op-ed and fiction writer, educator, translator and training consultant from Bangladesh. She is the Director of Continuing Education Centre, Bangladesh.

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References: 

1. Dean, Jason, New Year’s, H-History, February 16, 2010

2. Thaker, Khyati, life lessons learned in 2021 to create a new you in 2022, A Lawyer’s Voyage.