RING IN THE NEW YEAR VIRTUAL WALK

The walk is led by Kevin Flude, a former archaeologist at the Museum of London.

The New Year has been a time of review, renewal and anticipation of the future from time immemorial. The Ancient Britons saw the Solstice as a symbol of a promise of renewal as the world entered bleak mid winter. The Roman season was presided over by Janus, a two headed God who looked both backwards and forwards, and Dickens based his second great Christmas Book on the renewal that the New Year encouraged.

We look at London's past to see where and how the Solstice might be celebrated. We also explore the different New Years we use and their associated Calendars - the Pagan year, the Christian year, the Roman year, the Jewish year, the Financial year, the Academic year and we reveal how these began. We look at folk traditions, Medieval Christmas Festivals, Boy Bishops, Distaff Sunday and Plough Monday, and other New Year London tradition and folklore.

At the end we use ancient methods to divine what is in store for us in 2022.

The walk finds interesting and historic places in the City of London to link to our stories of Past New Year's Days. We begin, virtually, at Barbican Underground and continue to the Museum of London, the Roman Fort; Noble Street, Goldsmiths Hall, Foster Lane, St Pauls, Dr Commons, St. Nicholas Colechurch and on towards the River.

This is a London Walks Guided Walks. Look at their web site for a list of other of their amazing walks

Druids at Tower Hill

Saturn at Saturnalia

The French Revolutionary Calendar - the winter months.

Janus, God of January