Happy Sylvester

December 28, 2009 - 9:00 PM by

happy newDepending on how you feel about it, there’s an advantage to living in Israel come New Year’s Eve time.

If you want to celebrate the switch to the next year then there’s no shortage of parties and events taking place, especially in the big cities, and homes around the country. But there’s sort of a bashful ways we celebrate, a noticeable ‘unofficial’ feel about the whole thing, right down to the name we call New Year’ Eve – Sylvester.

According to the Balashon blog, ‘Sylvester’ was the name of the ‘Saint’ and Roman Pope who reigned during the Council of Nicaea (325 CE).

“The year before the Council of Nicaea convened, Sylvester convinced Constantine to prohibit Jews from living in Jerusalem. At the Council of Nicaea, Sylvester arranged for the passage of a host of viciously anti-Semitic legislation. All Catholic ‘Saints’ are awarded a day on which Christians celebrate and pay tribute to that Saint’s memory. December 31 is Saint Sylvester Day – hence Sylvester.”

Since we go by a different calendar in Hebrew, and the religious powers that be would never allow a real New Year’s celebration (New Year’s Eve parties at hotels are strictly outlawed), those that celebrate the evening took to calling it Sylvester.

However, if you’re like me and have never really enjoyed the hoopla surrounding New Year’s Eve and the prequisite to be merry and have a great time, then all the pressure’s off in Israel. You can easily go through the day, evening and next day without even knowing that there was anything special going on.

Because New Year’s Eve falls on a Thursday this year, there might be more partiers since most people won’t have work or school to worry about the next day. We’re even going to attend a party ourselves, a musical New Year’s Eve hoedown at a friend’s house. But the chances of us lasting until midnight are an even bet.

Tags: , , , , • Category: A New Reality, General, History and Culture, Holidays, Israeliness, Life 

Comments

3 Comments on Happy Sylvester

  1. Håkan Johansson on Thu, Dec 31st 2009 12:25 AM

    2. I’m sorry for those who have to adjust their lives to superstition.
    In my eyes all religion is just that.
    But another thing is culture. I celebrate that. Go along with what you ever want to call any kind of celebration just as long as you are happy with iit.
    Have a good time guys! I’m sure I will.
    Me and my friends sends you our love, and a wish for a great 2010 for all of you.

  2. Happy… Sylvester? | Considerations by Samuel J. Scott on Thu, Dec 31st 2009 11:02 AM

    3. [...] Israelity, Jew­li­cious, and Ynet look at the hol­i­day as well, each in its own, dif­fer­ent way. As the Wikipedia arti­cle on Sylvester I notes, infor­ma­tion on him is scarce, and I can find noth­ing schol­arly on his alleged actions against Jews in Europe. (Although it does seem fairly com­mon for peo­ple in some coun­tries in Europe to call New Year’s Eve “Sylvester” today. When I see the adver­tise­ments that Google pro­vides on this page, they are hotel spe­cials for the hol­i­day in Ger­many and Denmark.) [...]

  3. Kavanna on Sat, Dec 31st 2011 4:57 AM

    4. The part about Saint Sylvester is correct. For Americans, it’s completely weird, and virtually no one here knows about the connection. The US is a predominantly Protestant country, and the saint days have little or no significance. If someone mentions “Sylvester,” not one person in 1000 will know what you mean.

    But there’s also something floating around about Julius Caesar attacking the Jews in Palestine on January 1 — this is utterly bogus, as far as I know, although I hear it repeated here and there. Julius Caesar attacked no Jews during his career and was actually pretty Jew- and Judaism-friendly. For one thing, it was he who set up the exemption of Jews in the Roman Empire from having to pay for the upkeep of local pagan temples. Instead, he granted recognition to the half-shekel payment from the Diaspora that went to the Temple in Jerusalem. He also exempted Jews in the Empire from otherwise mandatory worship of Roman gods.

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