Illogical customs of ours ringing in another new year

A NEW year dawns and already several people have hailed me with the felicitation, 'Happy New Year!'

- Peter Mortimer

I find myself wondering just what merits such a greeting. Do these three words make the slightest bit of difference as to how the next 365 days will pan out for me? Of course not. In which case, what is the point?

Let us take the argument further. Are any of us likely, in the middle of a week, to greet friends and colleagues with the two words 'Happy Wednesday!' Not at all. Not ever.

Or, if this is argument is to be 'reductio ad absurdum,' to exclaim the even more ridiculous 'Happy Noon!' when the middle of the day arrives.

I am willing to concede that the phrase 'Happy Christmas!' has some logic to it - a short, defined period when people gather for the specific purpose of a few days wassailing with Uncle Albert (who farts during the Christmas dinner) and gran (who falls asleep by 2pm) and cousin Trevor (whose halitosis has worsened considerably).