As I write this it’s Boxing day. My house is a riot of noise and merriment, filled with my loved ones and I reflect on how lucky I am, to have food in my cupboards, a roof over my head and the most basic of needs met. Boxing day always feels a little melancholy, a time to reflect on the year almost gone and think forward towards the next. I will forgo such musings today however. Instead, on this day of servants (Boxing day originated from the peasant class - so many would have been working on Christmas day itself, in service to the upper classes that the day after was their Christmas day, when they would give and receive their own Christmas boxes and spend time with their families) let’s explore some weird and wonderful New Year celebrations that make our modern way of seeing in the new year appear bland in comparison.

Now is a good time to look back at the year that is almost over, at our victories and defeats, no matter how big or small. Doing so puts us in good stead for the year that is coming, allowing us to plan or pinpoint the course we want the year to take.