The choice of what to do and where to go for New Year is always difficult; with this article we suggest you to spend the New Year at Marchesa wine estate, in a villa transformed into a farmhouse in Monferrato, in the center of a wine estate of 188 acres with vineyards, woods and a private lake.
New Year: its history
The history of the New Year is very ancient and dates back to the time when men lived on agriculture and fixed the moments of the year according to the succession of the seasons. The beginning of a new year, according to the rural civilization, could have taken place either at the end of autumn, when the work on the fields was finished and the farmers were preparing for the long winter, or at the beginning of spring when the sowing was the magic moment in which life was reborn.
Over the time the two great civilizations of the past, the Roman empire and the Chinese empire, feel the need to set a date for the new year.
New Year in the West: the Julian calendar and the Gregorian calendar
In 46 BC Julius Caesar, the maximum pontiff in Rome, following the calculations of an Egyptian astronomer, fix the date of January 1 as the beginning of the new year, starting the calendar that from his name is called the Julian calendar, over the centuries the Julian calendar had accumulated a 10-day delay compared to the astronomical calendar, making a reform necessary.
In 1582 Pope Gregorio XIII Boncompagni carry out the reform based on the calculations made on 1543 by Nicolò Copernico, one of the greatest astronomers of all time. The Gregorian calendar is born and is still in force today. Pope Gregory XIII was one of the greatest popes in history and he was responsible for applying the rules of the Council of Trent ended under his predecessor Paul IV Medici in 1563. Over the time and due to globalization, the New Year was almost everywhere set on January 1st.
Orthodox Christians still follow the Julian calendar, this is why Ortodox Christmas is January 7th and New Year is January 14th.
The Chinese New Year
The Chinese tradition links the New Year more closely to the cycle of nature, fixing it on a date between January 21 and February 19 in relation to the second or third new moon after the winter solstice. The Chinese New Year of 2023 is Sunday January 22.
In China each year is marked by an animal, 2023 is the year of the Rabbit.
According to an ancient legend, every year a terrible monster, the Nian, came out of his cave to eat the men, the only defense was to scare him with loud noises, songs, sounds, fireworks. The Nian also had the terror of the red color and this is the reason why even today in China the red color is the color of New Year and prosperity.
New Year what to do? Where to go? A New Year’s Eve at the Marchesa farmhouse, is a good choice for 5 reasons
spending the New Year in peace in the countryside in Piedmont with children
spending a romantic New Year, near Milan booking also a room for the night in order to sleep in silence
not having the problem of how to dress for New Year; on a farmhouse you can dress as you want, not forgetting a touch of red as red is the color of our tradition
not having the problem of what to eat since on a farmhouse you always eat too well rediscovering the pleasure of dishes of the rural tradition of the region
spend the New Year in a living room with a lit fireplace
New Year’s Eve offers of Marchesa farmhouse
The New Year’s Eve party menu 55€ per person, excluding wines; children 30€ (menu on demand)
New Year’s Eve and December 31 night: 115,00€ per person in double room, minimum two people, breakfast included (menu on demand)
We suggest you to book one of our five experiences, particularly the visit to the estate and to the cellar.
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