The custom of making New Year’s resolutions is most common in the West, but it happens all over the world. As we prepare to welcome 2017, take a look back at when and why the New Year’s resolution tradition got started, and how it’s changed over the course of history.

The ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honour of the new year — though for them the year began not in January but in mid-March, when the crops were planted. During a massive 12-day religious festival known as Akitu, the Babylonians crowned a new king or reaffirmed their loyalty to the reigning king.

They also made promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed.

These promises could be considered the forerunners of our New Year’s resolutions. If the Babylonians kept to their word, their (pagan) gods would bestow favour on them for the coming year. If not, they would fall out of the gods’ favour — a place no one wanted to be. A similar practice occurred in ancient Rome, after the reform- minded emperor Julius Caesar tinkered with the calendar and established January 1 as the beginning of the new year circa 46 BC.

Named for Janus, the two-faced god whose spirit inhabited doorways and arches, January had special significance for the Romans.

Believing that Janus symbolically looked backwards into the previous year and ahead into the future, the Romans offered sacrifices to the deity and made promises of good conduct for the coming year.

For early Christians, the first day of the new year became the traditional occasion for thinking about one’s past mistakes and resolving to do and be better in the future. In 1740, the English clergyman John Wesley, founder of Methodism, created the Covenant Renewal Service, most commonly held on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Also known as known as watch night services, they included readings from Scriptures and hymn singing, and served as a spiritual alternative to the raucous celebrations normally held to celebrate the coming of the new year.

Now popular within evangelical Protestant churches, especially African-American denominations and congregations, watch night services held on New Year’s Eve are often spent praying and making resolutions for the coming year.

Despite the tradition’s religious roots, New Year’s resolutions today are a mostly secular practice.

Instead of making promises to the gods, most people make resolutions only to themselves, and focus purely on self-improvement (which may explain why such resolutions seem so hard to follow through on). According to recent research, while as many as 45 percent of Americans say they usually make New Year’s resolutions, only eight percent are successful in achieving their goals. But that dismal record probably won’t stop people from making resolutions anytime soon — after all, we’ve had about 4,000 years of practice

The third annual “fund raiser” will feature Dil-E-Nadan and the Prison Service Band along with DJs Mr Desmond, Kabuki and Sir Charles.

There will be a surprise steel orchestra along with many special door prizes.

The Dance Sport Sundays want all its dancers to kick off the new year with live music from the “Pal” Joey Lewis Orchestra.

The regular DJs will also be in attendance as Hipster and Hard compliment the band.

The action starts from 6 pm and patrons will have an opportunity to get Joey Lewis music as his CDs will be on sale at special prices.

Hundreds of patrons flocked to the venue to take in seasonal music by Marilyn Williams, Relator, Ninja, Baron, Iwer George and Playboys Steel Orchestra. MC was Tommy Joseph with DJ Sensational Sammy.

Former Port-of- Spain Mayor Keron Valentine said he was very surprised at the turn out as the event was a bit of touch and go. Patrons danced and sang along with the live performances until the wee hours of the morning.

Newsday photographer was on hand at the panyard and captured these highlights.

Valentine is an all-round junior athlete who participates in the 400m, 800m and 1500m events. This year he achieved a gold medal in the 1500m at the Hampton Games and bronze in the same event at the National Junior Championships respectively.

He showed some consistency this year as he made five finals in the 800m event and one in the 400m.

Eleven year old Venessa Stephen attained a bronze medal in the 100m (12.75 seconds) and was a 200m (26.78 seconds) finalist at the National Juvenile Championship. She also recorded a silver medal in the 100m and a bronze medal in the 200m at the Falcon Games and Manny Ramjohn Juvenile Games respectively.

The Feature Address was delivered by Brennon Patterson, Councillor of the Tumpuna District of the Arima Borough Corporation who urged the athletes to work hard. He stressed that success can be achieved through hard work regardless of one’s background or social status. He reminded them that there is only one place that success comes before work which is in the English Dictionary.

Also lending inspiring words was the club`s president, Den’a Boynes-Bardouille who gave the athletes a few things to consider as they continue on their athletic journey. She said: “Be persistent, find mentors, be happy and find- ,follow your passion.”

Under 10 awards: Boy – Jalani Nedd, Girl – Andrea La Guerre
Under 12 award : Girl – Kyra Brathwaite
Under 14 awards: Boy – Jemell Boatswain, Girl – Venessa Stephens
Under 16 award: Boy – Christino Armstrong
Under 18 award: Boy – Kyron Valentine
Most Outstanding Cross Country Athletes: Boy- Nkosi Olatunji, Girl – Danielle Bailey
Most Improved Athlete: Janila Greaux
Most Discipline Athlete: Jahson Reid

Paul and St Fort were among the winners at the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee Annual Awards Gala at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain.

Other winners on the night were Michelle-Lee Ahye (Sportswoman of the Year), Keshorn Walcott (Sportsman of the Year), Akeem Stewart (Sports Personality of the Year), Dylan Carter (People’s Choice Award) and Catherine Forde, who won the Alexander B. Chapman Award for achievements and contributions to sport.

Paul had a stellar 2016 shining at the Junior Pan American Cycling Championships which was hosted at the National Cycling Velodrome in Couva. After receiving the award, Paul stated, “winning this award was a surprise to me and I did not know (I was winning) obviously, but all the hard work paid off so I am just happy with my performance throughout the year and I am very grateful to win this award.” Paul won one gold medal and two silver medals at the Junior Pan Championships which he said were the highlights of his 2016. “There was a lot of high points in my year but I would say the Junior Pan Ams, winning the sprint and coming second in the keirin and the team sprint.” Paul is hoping to continue his success when he enters the senior division. “Next year I am a senior so I just want to keep working hard and try to qualify to ride the Elite Pan Ams. That is one of my biggest goals, to make it to the 2020 Olympics, that is really, really high on my agenda right now.” Paul was invited to train at the UCI (International Cycling Union) World Cycling Centre in Switzerland for a training stint and he spoke glowingly about his experience.

“It was really different (compared) to competing in Trinidad, it was a high level of racing, it gave me a lot of exposure to the elite world and to who the best in the world is. So I am just grateful that I got the opportunity to go out there and witness it for myself.” St Fort, who earned a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in Poland and represented TT in the women’s 4x100m relay at the Rio Olympics, stated, “2016 has been an amazing experience to go from being the third best on my high school team to now being a Rio 2016 Olympian as well as World Championships (relay) bronze medallist, it’s been a great, great year for me.” St Fort said competing at the Rio Olympics was her biggest accomplishment for 2016.

“Probably Rio because that is something I have dreamt of since I was small, since before I was even running as well as (when) I was running. So being an Olympian at 18 years old is one of the biggest accomplishments so far for me.” St Fort, who is trained by former TT sprinter Ato Boldon, wants to dip below 11 seconds in the 100m and below 23 seconds in the 200m event for 2017 and also compete at the (Senior) World Championships.

“I am still going for my sub- 11 as well as sub-23 and training for World Championships in London.” She continued: “Thank you for your support and I hope we continue to receive your support. We love representing TT and we hope we do you proud in 2017.” Stewart, who won a gold medal (javelin) and a silver medal (discus) at the Paralympic Games in Rio was happy to get the Sports Personality of the Year Award for the second consecutive year.

Stewart said, “It means a lot to me because this is my second consecutive one and I am really grateful for it.” He added, “the experience in Rio was really good (but) before I got to Rio I had to do a drug test in Piarco Airport, a day after I got in Rio (I had another) drug test.

I was a little bit distracted by it but I know I went there with an aim and mission I went and I accomplished it and I was happy with my performance

The Red Force, winners at home in 2015 and 2016, will be involved in Group A, alongside the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Windward Islands Volcanoes, West Indies Under-19s and England county team Kent Spitfires.

Group B will feature the Guyana Jaguars, Barbados Pride, Jamaica Scorpions, CCC (Combined Campuses and Colleges) Marooners and ICC Americas.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Red Force coach Augustine “Gus” Logie, commented, “many of our experienced players have indicated their willingness to take part. So we welcome all those experienced players to the set-up.

We look forward to having a very experienced and possibly strong team for the Super50 (in 2017).” Veteran pacer Ravi Rampaul is currently in training with the team, along with all-rounder Kevon Cooper, while former West Indies captain and wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin, fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, all-rounder Rayad Emrit and opening batsman Evin Lewis have all indicated their availability, according to Logie.

“It looks good and, with the other youngsters available to us, it looks as though we’ll be almost close to a full-strength team,” said Logie, the ex-TT and WI middle- order batsman.

The Regional Four-Day Tournament is on a break until early March, to cater for the Super50 event. And Logie noted, “basically, those players who are not really involved in the Four-Day Tournament were preparing themselves home during that time. Now that we’re back out, we started on the 27th (of December), we had a few days.” As far as the training sessions are concerned, Logie stated, “hopefully, in the New Year, we’ll have two practice games at the (Queens’ Park) Oval. We’re looking at that facility because of the amount of rain, and I don’t think the (National Cricket Centre in) Couva is available as yet. There is a lot of rain around which is very difficult. So we’ll look forward to the New Year.” The Red Force are last in the six-team 2016-2017 Regional Four Day Tournament and Logie understands that he will be under pressure to improve the fortunes of the squad.

He admitted, “this is sports and you’re always under pressure – whether you’re a player, whether you’re an official. The bottom line is that you want to win and every competition you go into, you want to win regardless of the resources that you have that is available to you. Once you’re prepared to go into battle, you go in to win. This year is going to be no different to us. That’s what we’re about. The pressure is part and parcel of sport and we’ve got to live with it.” Can the Super50 competition be a catalyst for a Red Force revival this season? “This is a season that we feel if we have the requisite support from all the players, I think we would certainly rebound,” Logie replied.

I have always preferred a quiet night at home on Old Year’s night.

No parties for me. The couple of times I let someone talk me into going to a party I felt miserable.

I couldn’t wait to get home to my book. Much of that feeling stems from my father’s comments about Old Year’s night. My mother always begged my father to take her to an Old Year’s party, and he refused.

“My idea of having fun on Old Year’s night is not having a bunch of drunks stepping on my feet when I’m trying to dance,” my father always said.

Perhaps my penchant for staying at home on Old Year’s night is really a tribute to my father’s gentle and genuine spirit. He needed no one to entertain him. He was perfectly content with himself, his children and his cows. From my father, I learned a little introspection is good for the soul.

And so, on Old Year’s night, he made sure my mom bought lots of nice snacks — potato chips and Frito corn chips and sour cream dips. My mother put out plates of sugar cookies, Paisano (wine) cookies and nut kipfers. My maternal grandmother always made pigs-in-the-blanket, giant meatballs made from ground pork and white rice smothered in sauerkraut because she said it was important to eat pork — never chicken — just before the new year. “Pigs root forward,” she said, “and chickens scratch backwards.” It was her way of saying “Forward ever, backwards never.” So my family started the new year with good food and family.

While my children were growing up, I modified some of my family’s New Years’ traditions to include pizza with snacks and Christmas cookies – always gingerbread, and when my children fell asleep, I would conjure up every fond memory of the past and plan for the new year.

This year, I will be thinking about the two nonfiction books I am writing. Working on these books — both of which deal with West Indian history — brings joy and a sense of fulfilment. I have learned so much about the West Indies, and that knowledge fills me with pride.

When the new year chimes in, I’ll be bursting with joy for all of the upcoming projects I have planed for my new library in Port-of-Spain Prison that Children’s Ark has been helping me with for two years now. The library will be opening in January.

I’ll be thinking about what I can further contribute to education in this country through that prison library.

One of my favourite writers, Victor Hugo, once wrote “When you open a school, you close a prison.” I feel the same way about a prison library. You will be hearing a lot about the Port-of- Spain Prison library, and I am promising that it will be a model for prison libraries throughout the country and even the region.

Of course I’ll be thinking about my reading for the year.

I promised myself I’d read a book about every US president.

I’ve started to put a dent in that promise already. Plans are good.

I know this because of the family traditions passed down from my grandmother.

H a p p y New Year, dear readers.

Plan a great year.

He reported that the letter was delivered by hand to the Commissioner though to date, they have not received an official response.

“Every year during the Divali and Old Year’s celebration our citizenry is inundated with explosions of fireworks, firecrackers, scratch bombs and the bursting of bamboo. While some may enjoy the sights and sounds of the explosions our elderly, our infirm, our infants and animals feel very differently,” the group wrote in its letter to Commissioner Williams.

“The practice is dangerous and the celebrations provide cover for other illegal events and cause accidents. Each season we learn of limbs being lost and other injuries to persons participating in, or simply being in the environs of, the celebrations.

For the elderly, infirm and infants the experience can lead to distress, panic and heart problems. Our animals become disoriented and run often causing accidents or themselves becoming lost or killed.” The letter stated that Sections 99 and 100 of the Summary Offences Act (which address the use of fireworks) are not regularly enforced and the group asked that this legislation governing the use of fireworks be strictly enforced to ensure controlled and responsible use of fireworks to protect our elderly, infirm, infants and animals.

“We further ask that for this coming Old Years night (Saturday December 31, 2016) the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service promote and execute a night of total policing to protect our citizenry and animals from the unlawful discharge of fireworks.” Marshall, speaking yesterday during a telephone interview, said the citizenry face the problem that every time they call the police about fireworks they get no action. “Is year after year and the police don’t take it on,” he added. The organisation is calling on people being disturbed by fireworks to call the police, give them the approximate area where the fireworks are being set off and then read the sections of the Summary Offences Act for them.

The group is also calling on citizens to get the officer’s name and rank and time of the call and the approximate response time and if no action is taken make a report to the Police Complaints Authority.

Marshall said a problem in the past was that people who called the police about fireworks and received no assistance did not keep records and they therefore could not lodge complaints.

The group, in a position paper, also called for a total ban on all noise producing fireworks.

Failing this the group advised the sale of fireworks only to licensed individuals and approved by community police and that information relevant to the licence should be published in at least one national newspaper for two consecutive days and at least one calendar week before the approved date of activity.

Animals 360 Foundation was one of the stakeholders mentioned by Minister of Public Administration and Communications Maxie Cuffie in a release on Tuesday in which he reported that suggestions about the use of fireworks were being forwarded to Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi as part of an anti- scratch bomb campaign.

AG Al-Rawi called on the police to enforce the law and for the public to do their part.

Marshall, however, said that they disagree with the impression presented by the Attorney General that the current law is sufficient. The group has called for the law to be amended but in the interim for the police to enforce the existing legislation.

Attempts to contact Commissioner Williams yesterday proved futile. The issue of illegal fireworks has returned to the fore after a grandmother, Sally Ann Cuffie, was seriously injured when a scratch bomb was thrown into a car in which she was travelling. Also on Saturday scratch bombs were thrown at former Housing Development Corporation managing director Jearlean John and her sister while the two were jogging around the Queen’s Park Savannah leading them to believe they were being shot at.

A vendor said that since police began their crackdown on Wednesday, sales of slumped with some vendors packing up shop and leaving.

“The way sales are going, we can barely make enough to cover what we invested. This has been one of the worst years for fireworks sales that I have seen and to make matters worse, the police are coming down hard on us for selling because you need a license in order to sell and we do not have this. If they are serious about putting an end to illegal fireworks like scratch bombs on the market, they need to search those wholesalers that import it in the first place, otherwise it will continue to find it’s way in the hands of the public, but don’t punish the man on the street trying to make a dollar.” On Queen Street, Robert Charles said while he is not opposed to the crackdown, he hopes the police treat other crimes with equal tenacity.

“Better regulation of these things (fireworks) are definitely needed, those fellas light the scratch bombs and throw it in the streets when people are walking.

We could do without that kind of foolishness but I just hope the police work with similar efficiency when it comes to murders, rapes and gang violence,” Charles said.

Two police officers, interviewed as they were on foot patrol along Charlotte Street, said: “The bottom line is if you have a license you don’t have anything to worry about. We are not going to allow any illegal vending of fireworks.”