‘Happy New Year’

Fireworks have a history that spans thousands of years. In a modern civilization, they have outlived their purpose in their current forms. Personally, I was never fascinated by them as a child and, nowadays, they’ve become less appealing for each year. I am far from alone in concluding this. The negative impact of fireworks on small children and pets and on the environment is a topic of concern for numerous individuals and organizations. This New Year’s Eve, joy over fireworks just felt callous, sociopathic, heartbreaking, and distasteful.

Origins

Historians in general believe that fireworks were originally developed in ancient Liuyang, China, during the second century B.C. The first natural “firecrackers” were bamboo stalks that would explode when thrown into a fire due to the overheating of the hollow air pockets in the bamboo. The Chinese believed that these natural “firecrackers” would ward off evil spirits.

The use of fireworks spread from China to Europe, where they were initially used to celebrate military victories and later became part of public celebrations and religious ceremonies.

Fireworks also made their way to North America as European settler colonialism expanded there.

Reportedly, John Adams, one of the USA’s founding fathers, expressed his hope that the anniversary of the country’s ‘independence‘ would be marked by “bonfires” and “illuminations”. When July 4th began to be celebrated as America’s Independence Day, fireworks became an integral part of the festivities.

An annual international festivity

The broadcasting of New Year’s Eve fireworks displays on television has become a tradition in numerous countries around the world. This practice began in the early days of television, and it has continued to spread and grow in popularity in recent decades.

Reportedly, the first televised New Year’s Eve fireworks display was broadcast in 1939, from Times Square in New York City. This broadcast was a huge success, and it set the stage for the many televised fireworks displays that would follow.

Today, there are televised fireworks displays held in major cities around the world, and they can be seen by millions of people, from Sydney, Australia, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to London, England and numerous more locations. These broadcasts often feature commentary from celebrities and experts, and they provide viewers with a unique and exciting way to ring in the New Year.

Diversity of calendars and New Year’s traditions

It’s worth noting that the “new year” is a relative social construct; a human invention; a way of marking time and creating a sense of shared experience. Notably, around a Christian timeline based on the birth of a Palestinian Jew.

The moment when we mark the transition from one year to the next is not a fixed point in time, but rather a human-created convention.

The Gregorian calendar marks January 1st as the start of the new year. It has its origins in the reforms initiated by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.

It was a refinement of the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC.

“2024” traces back to the concept of the birth of Jesus Christ in Christian tradition.

The Gregorian calendar counts years from the assumed date of the birth of Jesus, which is believed to have occurred around the turn of the eras.

The “AD” or “Anno Domini” system, meaning “In the year of our Lord” in Latin, was introduced by a monk named Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century. He aimed to create a standardized system to reckon years based on the birth of Jesus Christ as a reference point. The year 1 AD was designated as the year of Christ’s birth (though modern scholars believe Jesus was likely born a few years earlier than this initial estimate).

However, this perspective and reference point is not universal.

In reality, people in different parts of the world celebrate the New Year on different days, and the same city may even celebrate the New Year twice a year if it is located in a time zone that crosses midnight or if it pays a tribute to both the “International” calendar and local customs.

Numerous cultures have their own systems based on astronomical events, agricultural cycles, or historical events.

Some societies follow lunar calendars, while others adhere to solar or lunisolar calendars. Moreover, indigenous cultures often have their own distinct ways of demarcating the passage of time, which might not align with the globally promoted Gregorian calendar.

For instance, the Chinese New Year, based on the lunar calendar, falls between January 21st and February 20th in the Gregorian calendar. It emphasizes familial gatherings, feasting, and the symbolic significance of the zodiac animal assigned to each year. As of the Gregorian year 2024, according to the Chinese calendar, it would be the year 4722.

Similarly, in the Islamic calendar, the new year, known as Hijri or Islamic New Year, doesn’t align with January 1st in the Gregorian calendar. It’s calculated based on lunar cycles and commemorates the Hijra, Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina. As of the Gregorian year 2024, the Islamic year would be around 1445 AH (After Hijra). [It’s important to note that there might be slight variations in the specific Islamic year as the calendar is based on lunar sightings, leading to differences in its start and end dates depending on the lunar observations in different regions].

In some cultures, like those following the Hindu calendar, New Year dates vary regionally. Within the Hindu calendar system, there isn’t a single fixed New Year’s Day observed universally across all regions or communities. Instead, different regions and communities within the broader Hindu cultural sphere celebrate their New Year at various times based on regional customs, religious traditions, and specific calendars. Ugadi in South India and Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, for instance, signify the New Year at different times within the Gregorian calendar, each with its distinct customs and traditions. As of January 2024 in the Gregorian calendar, the year in the Hindu calendar would generally be around Vikram Samvat 2080. The Vikram Samvat calendar, widely used in India, particularly in the northern and western regions, starts from approximately 57 BC. It’s based on the legendary King Vikramaditya and marks the beginning of the Hindu lunar year.

The Jewish calendar, also known as the Hebrew calendar, is a lunisolar calendar. It counts years since the supposed creation of the world, with its start estimated around 3761 BC. In the Jewish calendar, 2024 would be around the year 5784 or 5785. The exact year within this range would depend on the specific timing and observance of religious holidays.

In the Ethiopian calendar, “2024" is around year 2016 or 2017; about 7 to 8 years behind the Gregorian calendar. The Ethiopian calendar, also known as the Ge’ez calendar, is based on the ancient Coptic calendar and is structured around a mix of lunar and solar cycles. It is a type of lunisolar calendar. It falls approximately 7 to 8 years behind the Gregorian calendar, and consists of 13 months, with 12 months of 30 days each, and a 13th month known as Pagumē that has 5 or 6 days, depending on leap year calculations. This calendar’s inception reportedly aligns with the traditions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The Ethiopian New Year, known as Enkutatash (meaning “gift of jewels” in Amharic), and being deeply rooted in the Julian calendar system, falls on September 11 or 12, depending on whether it is a leap year or not. The holiday is not exclusively religious and is celebrated by both believers and non-believers alike. It’s important to note that there is also a Jewish Ethiopian community dating back to biblical times. The Ethiopian Jewish community celebrates the new year with their own unique traditions and practices. Reportedly, for them, the new year celebration is called “Sigd”. During Sigd, community members ascend a hilltop or a high place, symbolic of the journey to Jerusalem and the longing for Zion. They gather to listen to religious leaders, called Kessim, who recite prayers and scriptures, delivering messages of unity, repentance, and hope for the future.

Fireworks are outdated

It is understandable that televised New Year’s Eve fireworks displays are popular: they are visually stunning, bring people together from all over the villages, towns, and the world, they remind us of the beauty of the world around us, and start the new “year with a bang!”.

The idea of a new year is also laden with symbolism — a chance for new beginnings, resolutions, and reflections. New Year’s Eve celebrations act as a catalyst for reflection, a collective opportunity for individuals to ponder the past, contemplate personal growth, and set aspirations for the future.

That said… When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. As an adult, I have to contemplate not only the pleasure principle, but the consequences.

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child.”

Fireworks and extreme pollution

Fireworks produce a troubling variety of pollutants that have negative impacts on the environment. These include air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution/auditory stress, wildlife disturbance, and pyrotechnic waste.

During these splashes of color into the sky, millions of particles and gases are released into the air. Many are also blown for miles in atmospheric wind currents (the list is long, you can read in more detail here).

Fireworks release a plethora of harmful pollutants into the air, water, and soil. The combustion of fireworks produces toxic atmospheric pollutants such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter, which affect air quality and human health. Additionally, fireworks lead to an increase in microplastic pollution in water and contribute to the presence of harmful chemicals in the environment, posing health risks, especially for vulnerable populations such as children, older adults, and those with respiratory diseases.

The concentrations of pollutants in the air are eight times higher than normal in the hours immediately after these unforgettable fireworks displays. Each firework relies on chemical reactions to achieve a specific size, color, or loudness. Black powder, sometimes called gunpowder, helps fireworks mix into the air and explode. Black powder is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate (saltpeter) (URL 2).

Some chemicals give fireworks a wide range of colors. Strontium, Aluminum, Copper, Barium, Rubidium, and Cadmium. While Copper and Rubidium cause various skin problems, Strontium damages bone development in children, and Cadmium is carcinogenic and causes severe lung damage.

The smoke seen in the air after the fireworks explosion is an air pollution mixture of harmful particles and toxic chemicals that can hang in the air and enter the water, soil, and lungs. Some fireworks contain perchlorates, which are oxidizers that can leach into water and contaminate drinking water supplies. Perchlorates can disrupt thyroid function in animals, including humans.

Extreme pollution associated with residential firework celebrations is recognized as an important health and environmental issue. Despite this knowledge, consumer fireworks continue to be allowed in many countries around the world (Journal of Cleaner Production). The reasons why these high pollution episodes continue to occur is because fireworks are an entertaining spectacle for locals and tourists and a major fundraiser for not-for-profit organizations (NPOs), despite posing an unacceptable public burden in terms of air pollution.

At its peak, the smoke from these events can be comparable to that from wildfires (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health; National Geographic).

— CHILDREN, PETS AND WILDLIFE

The loud, sudden noises produced by fireworks can be particularly distressing for young children, and animals with sensitive hearing, and trigger anxiety, fear, and panic attacks — leading to physical symptoms such as trembling, rapid breathing, and increased heart rate.

Children and pets are more sensitive to loud noises than adults. The noise produced by fireworks can be distressing and can lead to sensory overload, especially for individuals with sensory processing disorders or noise sensitivity.

In pets, loud noises can cause them to hide, tremble, bark or cry excessively, and even attempt to escape from their homes. In severe cases, it can lead to injuries caused by trying to escape or by trying to find a safe place to hide.

The loud noises and bright lights of fireworks also disturbs wildlife, causing them to panic, flee their habitats, and become injured. This is especially true for nocturnal animals that are sensitive to light.

— CLIMATE CHANGE

In addition to these direct environmental impacts, fireworks can also contribute to climate change. The gases released from fireworks can trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to global warming.

The negative impact of fireworks on children and pets is a topic of concern for many individuals and organizations, as evidenced by discussions on social media and the establishment of government offices to address these concerns.

Summary:

It’s time to introduce alternatives to explosives as the center of celebrations.

Citations:

The quote “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things” is from 1 Corinthians 13:11 in the King James Version of the Bible. This verse is often used to illustrate the idea of growing up and leaving behind childish ways, as well as the importance of adopting mature speech and thinking. In the context of 1 Corinthians 13, the verse is part of a larger discussion about the nature of love and the importance of it in one’s life.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13%3A11&version=KJV