Beginning the Year with Celebrations

by Paula Gail Benson

The year 2026 is starting with a series of significant celebrations and anniversaries. For my first post of the year, I sought out the historical context of resolutions. Then, as I learned of upcoming events, I realized I needed to prepare for a year of recognitions.

Peacock Image by 123stitch.com

When I looked up the history of New Year’s resolutions, I found a reference to the “peacock vow,” a tradition from medieval times involving knights pledging their civility and support to a community by placing their hands on a live or roasted peacock. (See Ringing in the New Year: A Medieval Perspective – History Tools.) Such a feast is described in “Vows of the Peacock” a poem written by Jacques de Longuyon around 1310. I wondered if that practice might have influenced a number of cultures, perhaps including the United States’ holiday of Thanksgiving.

Monks on Gervais Street Bridge Image by msn.com

Next, I began hearing news stories of a group of about two dozen Buddhist monks based in Fort Worth, Texas, walking 2,300 miles to Washington, D.C., in support of peace. During the journey, due to a vehicle accident, one had to have his leg amputated. The group’s “peace dog” Aloka, a stray acquired on a trip to India, missed some of the walk to have tendon surgery. Part of their route brought them to Columbia, South Carolina, where thousands followed them across a bridge to the steps of the Statehouse. In a very real way, the monks shared their peacefulness with all who observed them. You can follow them through their Facebook page.

Monks on Statehouse Steps Image from Facebook

Martin Luther King, Jr. Image from Wikipedia

This post will appear on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, a holiday signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 and first observed in 1986. This year with be the fortieth year it has been recognized. King’s actual birthday was January 15, 1929. The federal Uniform Monday Holiday Act requires that it be celebrated on a Monday. In South Carolina, King Day at the Dome is celebrated beginning with a service at Zion Baptist Church, a march to the Statehouse, and speeches by community leaders and elected officials with a keynote by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (NJ-D).

A new series premiered this week to celebrate Star Trek’s sixtieth anniversary. Starfleet Academy features Holly Hunter as the new Chancellor for the school that is opening for the first time in one hundred years. Even though set in the 32^nd century, the far future from other Star Trek series, it draws on characters and cultures that viewers will find familiar.

So far, 2026 has had an auspicious beginning. and still to come is the United States Semiquincentennial, to celebrate the 250^th birthday of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.