January Magazine 2022

To ring in 2022, we're exploring the season of renewal in the Christian calendar. Andrew Rampton opens the issue with a strong statement on the enduring meaning of Advent in the Church; then, Gerry Bowler winds us through a brief history of New Year celebrations in both the Christian and secular calendars. On page 13, Don Phillips reflects on the cyclical nature of time and what it means for us in our lives; finally, Chris Trott recounts his experience with New Year’s festivities in North Baffin Island, where the days are dark from early November until February. Inuit communities here celebrate New Year’s with activities that serve to recreate the universe and their place in it. Amid the cyclical darkness, Northern New Year’s is understood as, quite literally, the coming of the light.