Free Republic

December 31   Why is it 2011? (or) Why New Years is Not Simply Secular   By: Msgr. Charles Pope It is New Year’s Eve and everywhere throughout the world celebrations are planned as the New Year 2011 is upon us. You can be sure that large signs will flash “2011!!!” and “Happy New Year!” But why is New Year’s January 1st and why do we call this 2011? Time, and our understanding of our place in it are mysterious and historically complex, but many answers to how we designate time in the western world are very Catholic and Christian....

This feast day, of January 1, is a very complex tapestry, both culturally in liturgically. Perhaps we can use the second reading by St. Paul to the Galatians as a way to weave through some of the many details. We can look at it in three parts.I. The Chronology of our celebration. The text from St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians says, When the fullness of time had come… Most people, both in the wider culture and in the Church are going about today saying, “Happy New Year!” And rightfully so, for it is the beginning of the new year....

<p>Sorry about the delay, folks. But John finally got the certificate fixed and our FReepathon is now underway!!</p>

My brother's wife wanted to know the history behind the southern tradition of the New Year's Day meal, and that started a search. I thought I'd share it with you. First, let me show you What hog jowl is, is, by J.A. Bolton Storyteller I hope your family will be enjoying the traditional meal of collards, black-eyed peas, hog jowl and cornbread for New Year’s Day. I thought in today’s column I would try to explain some of the folklore and customs behind the delicious meal we observe here in the south on New Year’s. I probably need to...

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. —A newborn baby was welcomed into the world minutes after the clock struck midnight.

A massive, exuberant crowd of revelers from all over the world packed New York City streets to watch the crystal-covered ball in Times Square descend in a celebration of 2014’s arrival, capping off a global wave of festivities that also included a record-breaking fireworks display in Dubai and edibles falling from the sky in London.

Wishing you all a blessed and Happy New Year!! But there will be a slight delay in starting our fundraiser. Having a bit of technical difficulty with our secure server certificate. It expired over the weekend and I was hoping John would have it updated before today. No such luck. And I haven't been able to reach him yet this morning to get a status update. Hopefully our FReepathon will be underway soon. Sorry about the delay. Thank you all very much for your continuing support. Without you there would be no FR. God bless.

Troops, Veterans, Families, Allies, and FRiends.....The FReeper Canteen Presents..... Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. “May Light always surround you; Hope kindle and rebound you. May your Hurts turn to Healing; Your Heart embrace Feeling. May Wounds become Wisdom; Every Kindness a Prism. May Laughter infect you; Your Passion resurrect you. May Goodness inspire your Deepest Desires. Through all that you Reach For, May your arms Never Tire.”-D. Simone Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and...

Saudi religious police warn against celebrating New Year’s Eve Monday, 30 December 2013 10:50 AM Saudi Arabia’s religious police has warned that “punitive measures” will be taken against those who celebrated New Year’s Eve on December 31, Arabic daily Okaz reported. The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vices (Haia) based its warning on a religious edict issued by the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars banning such celebrations, the newspaper said. The conservative Islamic kingdom follows the Muslim lunar calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar, which stems from the Christian religion. Its new year is based...

The countdown to the new year in Times Square is getting some high-profile help—U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The organizers of the annual celebration announced Sunday that Sotomayor will lead the final 60-second countdown and push the ceremonial button to signal the descent of the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball. …

The Freeper Canteen Wishes Everyone **Click Here** NEW YEAR WISHES May peace fill all the empty spaces around you And in you, may contentment answer all your wishes May comfort be yours, warm and soft like a sigh. And may the coming year show you that every day is really a first day, a new year Let abundance be your constant companion, so that you have much to share May mirth be near you always, like a lamp shining brightly on the many paths you travel Adam Brand - Party 'Til The Money's All Gone   Afternoons In Stereo...

2012 was a grim year. There have been many others. May 2013 and all following years be far better! It's pretty much up to us. There have been reasons for sadness.[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0MklIdTiaU?feature=player_detailpage] Video link If we are to survive as a constitutional republic, our hopes and our spirits must remain high even in the face of defeat.[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GowMI4wvmU4?feature=player_detailpage] Video link We all have work to do. This should help us to do it. One of my favorite poets, Rudyard Kipling, wroteIF you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you...

HAPPY NEW YEAR! BYE, BYE, 2012... What happened? HELLO, 2013... What’s new? Our rear view mirror is crystal clear, and by looking through it we can clearly see what went wrong last year... This time of the year is a great time to take inventory and decide what we want to bring with us, and what we should be grateful to leave behind... It’s up to us to decide if we want this to be a better year, if last year wasn’t all that great... The New Year is the last chance to make the changes that can offer us...

Obama and Netanyahu will meet in an unannounced meeting, the London Telegraph reported Sunday. There has been no confirmation. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will meet on Sunday in an unannounced meeting, The London Telegraph reported Sunday. There has been no confirmation or denial from Washington - but the Prime Minister’s spokesman Mark Regev told Arutz Sheva on Sunday that the newspaper’s report they will meet on Sunday is “incorrect.” Concerning a meeting in the near future, he issued a “no comment” response. The reported meeting is to take place as 25 countries deploy warplanes and warships...

Happy New Year, everyone!! Woo hoo!! And we have some pretty big challenges facing us this year. We've got to remove Obama and all traces of his czars and his Marxist government, secure our nation and secure our borders!! And we've got to rein in the FED and the activist judiciary, eliminate the EPA, and end the ridiculous wars on coal, oil, gas and energy! Cut the regulations, cut the government, cut the spending, cut the taxes, get our economy going again, and set our people free and to prosper and produce!! And we must win the godless liberal progressive...

OK folks, post 'em here!

Since my registration on this site, January 15, 2004, I look forward to the New Year and my seventh anniversary with the finest conservative minds across the globe. It is this place that exhibits more generosity than every country combined. There is no finer place on the Internet. Over the course of 2011, there has been no better display of patriotism and Americanism than this beloved Red, White and Blue forum. Despite the claims of the world, FReepers celebrate the New Year, giving more than they receive. With the never-ending support of this web site, Free Republic will continue to...