Happy New Year Hazel

There was a knock at the door, and Hazel just knew it would be her best friend Rahul. He was always early. It was December 31st, and Hazel and her Aunt Lo had spent the whole day cleaning the house from top to bottom. One year ago, Hazel and her family had all moved, from Trinidad and Tobago, the southernmost island nation in the Caribbean, to New York City. And now, her new friends were coming over for their first New Year's Eve sleepover, and she was beyond excited. Aunt Lo was still in the kitchen, finishing up the cooking, and the smell of Hazel’s favorite new year's dish, black eyed peas pelau, filled the house. Hazel was still running around her living room getting things ready. Everything has to be perfect, she thought. The door knocked again. “Coming!” Hazel opened the door, and sure enough, it was Rahul. He greeted her with a huge grin, and a stack of New Year's Eve party hats, all black with silver glitter. Rahul was already wearing his, tilted to the side on his head. "Wow,” he exclaimed, as he looked around the living room. On the table was a large tray with all their favorite snacks. New Year's Eve balloons and streamers hung from the ceiling. The house was spotlessly clean. Like most Trinidadians, Hazel and her family believed the entire house should be cleaned before New Year’s day, to welcome the new year. “Hazel, everything looks great! And what’s that yummy smell?" “That’s the pelau.” she replied. “Aunt Lo’s is the best.” “...Never heard of pelau” said Rahul, “what is it?” Hazel was surprised. Didn’t everyone have black eyed peas pelau on New Year’s? She was about to explain when aunt Lo walked in. "Well, look who it is, the awesome twosome,” she said, referring to Hazel and Rahul. "Hi Aunt Lo,” he replied. “Thanks for having me over." Even though Hazel and Rahul had known each other less than a year, they felt like they had known each other forever. "Of course!” Aunt Lo replied. “It's a special night to hug your friends and family, and wish them happiness and success throughout the year.” "Sort of like Diwali,” said Rahul. “When my family celebrates Diwali that’s what we wish for too. But my favorite part of Diwali is drawing the Rangoli pictures on our porch out of rice powder in different colors. Hazel, remember at my house, those white and red flowers outlined in yellow?” “Of course I remember,” said Hazel, “it was just last month! But I thought you said that was the Festival of Lights” “Oh yeah.” he continued, “Same thing. But anyway the Rangoli designs are to guide Lakshmi – that’s the Hindu goddess of wealth and good fortune – to bless our home for the new year.” “New year?” asked Hazel, “But… if it’s for the new year then why did you do it last month?” “Well, our new year doesn’t start on January 1st.” Rahul replied, matter-of-factly. He thought for a moment, then continued. “I think it has to do with the new moon and the end of the summer harvest or something. My parents would know. And it’s not really new year’s “day,” because the festival lasts five days. But anyway, why do people celebrate on January first? Who decided that was the new year?” Hazel opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it again, when she realized that she didn’t know. That’s just the way they’d always done it. She looked at Aunt Lo and asked, “Auntie, who decided January 1st was the new year?” “I never thought about that,” Aunt Lo admitted. “I know it’s not based on the moon. Is it the shortest day of the year? The, what’s it called… the solstice? No… I don’t think so.” Aunt Lo’s voice trailed off as she tried to remember what she’d learned about “equinoxes” and “solstices” in school, when she was a kid back in Trinidad and Tobago. But, Trinidad and Tobago is so close to the equator, that the days don’t change much in length throughout the year, and so these strange words that had to do with days and nights of different lengths had never meant much to her. It hadn’t been until recently, after moving to New York, that she’d really experienced just how short the short days of winter can be. But the solstice, the shortest day of the year, had just happened ten days ago, so she knew that couldn’t be it. She shrugged her shoulders and said, “Someone just decided that, once upon a time, I guess. And now it’s just tradition.” There was a brief silence, as they all considered this idea. But the silence didn’t last long, because at that moment there was another knock on the door, and Aunt Lo went to open it, with Hazel and Rahul bouncing around behind her. It was their friend Mei. She stood in the doorway, one hand on her hip, and the other holding a large grocery bag. Her face was nearly covered by a large pair of sunglasses that, instead of regular lenses, were shaped like the numbers for the new year. She pushed down her glasses and peeked over them. “Happy New Year, Aunt Lo. Hey Hazel, hey Rahul," Mei said in her bubbly voice as she came inside and hugged everyone. I brought these fun New Year-shaped glasses for you all.” “That’s not all you brought...” said Rahul, eyeing the grocery bag. He smelled a delicious, familiar smell, and pointed at the bag, asking, “Is that what I think it is, Mei?” "Yes, my mom sent her dumplings.” Mei replied excitedly. She handed the bag to Aunt Lo. “We should keep these warm until it’s time to eat,” she explained. "What are those dumplings called again Mei?" Rahul asked. He had been friends with Mei for a long time and those dumplings were one of his favorite foods, but their proper name was hard for him to remember. “"They’re called Chiao-Tzu, and they’re supposed to symbolize prosperity and good fortune or something. That's why Chiao-Tzu is shaped like ancient Chinese money,” Mei explained. “That’s sort of like the black eyed peas in the pelau!” Hazel said, but Mei just gave her a confused look, and before she could explain, Rahul said, “It’s sure nice of your mom to make a separate batch just for us.” “What do you mean ‘a separate batch’?” asked Hazel. “Well,” Mei explained, “they’re usually just for Spring Festival. Or “Chinese New Year” is what a lot of people call it. It’s the second new moon after the winter solstice. It’s in, like, a month or whatever. Anyway, when I told my mom it was a New Year’s party, she said, "Well, if they’re celebrating their new year, they should have Chiao-Tzu!” Hazel didn’t know what to think. She was grateful for the special homemade dumplings, but somehow Mei’s mom calling it “their new year” made her realize that, to Mei’s family, Hazel’s new year was the different one, and not the other way around. “So, if you celebrate New Year’s with us,” Hazel asked, “and then next month with your family, how do you know when the new year really starts? Which one is… real?” Mei gave Hazel a funny look, and said in her bubbly voice, as if the answer was obvious, “I don’t know! Who cares? More excuses to party!” And she skipped off around the room. Rahul said in a low voice to Hazel, “Can’t argue with that!” Hazel didn’t know what to think. Rahul’s new year had already happened the month before, and Mei’s was still a month away, and both seemed to have some actual reason why they celebrated when they did. Meanwhile, she didn’t know of anything that made January first special, or significant. Her new year suddenly seemed very random, and it made her feel unsettled. She didn’t have long to think about it though, because just then there was another knock at the door. The final guest had arrived. Aunt Lo headed to the door with Hazel, Rahul, and Mei crowded behind her. They were all wearing their glittery silver New Year Hats and sparkly New Year's glasses. "Sophia!” they exclaimed as they greeted the new guest. Sophia took one look at everyone in their silly hats and glasses and burst into giggles. “Hey Guys!, I brought noisemakers and vasilopita,” she said, handing a white cake box to Aunt Lo, who received it with a smile. “What’s that?” asked Rahul, eyeing the box. “That’s the vasilopita,” replied Sophia. “The noisemakers are in my backpack.” “No, I mean, what is vasilo… what did you call it?” Hazel was glad Rahul asked, because she didn’t know either, but didn’t want to admit it. “Ohh, va-si-LO-pi-ta! It’s cake,” Sophia explained. “Well, or bread, sometimes… but this one’s cake. It’s a New Year’s cake. Well, it’s a Saint Basil’s day cake really. But also New Year’s cake. There’s a coin in it.” “A coin in it?” asked Hazel, confused. “Uh huh.” said Sophia with a nod. "So, wait, when we cut slices of the Vasilopita, there will be coins inside?" Rahul asked. “One coin.” Sophia corrected. “Whoever gets the slice with the coin will have a lucky year! But we have to wait until midnight” Hazel was amused by the idea of finding a coin in a slice of cake, and was trying to think of a way to bring up black eyed peas pelau again, when suddenly a different thought popped into her head. “Sophie,” she asked, “when is Saint Basil’s day?” “January 1st,” said Sophie. Hazel was relieved. Maybe there was something special about January first after all, she thought. But Sophia hadn’t finished. She continued, “Well, that’s when my family celebrates it. My dad says where he grew up it was January 14th, but for my mom it was the 1st. And now we live here and it seems like everyone around here just celebrates it on the 1st. But my mom says some people celebrate it on the 2nd.” Hazel was more confused than ever. “Wait,” she said, “do they celebrate New Year's Day on the 14th, or Saint Basil's Day on the 14th?” “Yes,” said Sophie absentmindedly. And without further explanation, she walked into the living room to take a better look at the decorations and snacks. Now that everyone was there, it felt like a party. Hazel, Rahul, Mei, and Sophia laughed and talked extremely loudly while playing Floor is Lava. They leaped from the couch to the chair until Aunt Lo told them to stop. After that, they laughed and shouted while playing card games and eating snacks. But Hazel was thoughtful. She and Aunt Lo had done so much to prepare for their New Year’s party with their new friends. But it seemed like to Rahul and Mei it wasn’t really New Year’s at all, and she still was confused about when Saint Basil’s day was, and whether or not it was the same thing as New Year’s. She found her Aunt alone in the kitchen, having a brief moment of quiet, while everyone else was in the living room. “Auntie…” she said, “When does the new year really start?” “Well, on January 1st, of course,” her aunt replied. Then after a pause she added, “Now come on, I know you knew that already. What are you really trying to ask?” “I dunno. I’m just confused. I thought New Year’s was New Year’s, plain and simple. But my friends are talking about “new moons”? and “harvests”? and “solsti-somethings”? and… and Saints?! And what do we have? A clean house and black eyed peas?” Her aunt just smiled and said, “I’ll tell you what we have. We have friends who will come celebrate with us, even though they do have all that other stuff. Besides, hasn’t it been exactly one year since the last time we celebrated New Year’s? Seems like that means it’s a new year as far as I can tell.” Hazel wasn’t sure what to say. Aunt Lo sighed and continued, “It’s a big world, Hazel. And people from all over that big world live right here in New York City. If I went out on the sidewalk right now and invited in three strangers, probably they’d be telling us right away about three more types of new years that even your friends hadn’t ever heard of. But no matter how or when they celebrate it, I’ll bet they’d all agree that it's a special night to hug your friends and family and wish them well and wish for their happiness and success to continue throughout the year.” Hazel remained quiet, so her aunt gave her a hug. “Hazel. Go back and join your friends. They didn’t come here for black eyed peas pelau. They came here for you.” Hazel smiled and nodded. And without saying another word, she went back out to the living room and joined her friends. Soon it was time for dinner, and the friends stuffed themselves with the delicious food Aunt Lo had prepared. Everyone got to try something new. Mei and Sophia tried roti for the first time; Rahul had never had callaloo stew, and Sophia and Hazel had their first Chiao Tzu dumplings. None of Hazel’s friends had ever had her favorite: black eyed peas pelau. Everybody loved it, and Hazel was happy to finally tell them that the black eyed peas represented luck and good fortune, just like Mei’s dumplings and the coin in Sophia’s cake. Everything was delicious. Time flew by and before they knew it, it was almost midnight. The friends sat together and shared their resolutions and promises for the New Year. Mei said she’d eat more vegetables and read more. Sophia said she would learn how to swim, and Rahul said he would learn how to skateboard, even though they were both nervous. And Hazel said, "I want to continue to be kind to our friends, families, and neighbors now and in the future." "Awww, Hazel has the best resolution," said Mei, giving her a hug. "Okay, everyone, it's 11:59 pm – one minute till the new year!" Aunt Lo announced as she walked into the room. Everyone gathered around the TV to watch the ball drop, and at last they counted down together: "10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1!" "Happy New Year!" everyone shouted. "I wish you all light, luck, success, and good fortune this New Year now and always," said Aunt Lo over the noise of the noisemakers Sophia had brought. "You too, Aunt Lo," said Hazel as she gathered her Aunt and her friends close together in a big group hug. "Happy New Year!"