New Year

In those times, each of us performed a ritual on the first day of the year, alone or with a helper if we had one: before dawn, we would go to the spring and fill a large jug, then bring it back to the room. After washing all over in the icy water, we would quickly put on our best robe, and solemnly carry what remained in the jug out into the common room where it would be joined with that of the rest, in a silent ceremony that signified the sharing of our life with each other. After that, the celebration and feasting would begin!

When I myself was first brought to the House, an elderly but energetic lay brother was assigned to be my helper. He told me he had served there since before he was my age, and it was evident that the New Year celebration still excited him as much as if he were that young boy. My first New Year morning, he was gone to the spring while I still slept, and came back before anyone else in the House was even out of bed. Just as he was pouring the water for me to wash, we heard a man singing in the courtyard below.

My helper's face filled with joy, for he recognized the voice, he said: it was a beggar who wandered the countryside, singing antic songs and writing poems on the trunks of trees and the sides of mountains. The sky was still dark, but the courtyard glowed with lanterns hung from the balustrade of the gallery, and when we went out and looked down, we could see the odd man clearly. His face sparkled in the lamplight, for he wore a cloth mask with shells and bits of glass sewn into it. He also had on leggings and a skin wrapped around his shoulders, and he capered about, waving a crooked stick in time with his singing. It took a moment for me to comprehend the words he sang, for his accent was unusual, but I understood his song to go something like this:

The Old Year dies, the New Year dawns,
We mourn, we rejoice —
Can't we just sit still?
The earth is round, the earth is flat;
It's covered with peaks, but is full of holes —
Why can't it make up its mind?
The wind blows, the snow falls,
The peaks burst open and leak all over.
The rain falls, the wind blows,
The holes gargle and sing like they're mad —
What a racket, What a mess!
What a glory! What a shame!
But wait! Look!
The clouds thin away, the wind lies down.
All is calm. All is bright.
Light from the stars spreads like mist,
The dark sky embraces us, rocks us to sleep.
Hush! Hush! All gone!

He flung down a handful of glittering dust, and with a loud bang and a plume of smoke, he vanished!