1 New Year's Day is celebrated on January 1 in the Gregorian calendar. It is a time of renewal and many people resolve to break bad habits and begin good ones. These resolutions require people to examine their lives over the last twelve months and plan for the coming year. 

The earliest documented New Year celebration occurred in Mesopotamia around 2000 B.C.E. The celebrations typically occurred in the middle of winter in an attempt to ensure the return of spring and fertility. Ancient Romans exchanged gifts of sacred tree branches and, later on, gold covered coins imprinted with the face of Janus. Janus had two faces: one looked forward and one looked backward.Giftgiving was extended to the emperors who eventually demanded them. However, these and other pagan customs were forbidden by the Christian church in 567 C. E.(from the University of Kansas Medical Center)

2 Birthday of Isaac Asimov, writer. (biography at The New York Times)

3 Birthday of J. R. R. Tolkien, writer. (biography at who2.com)

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5  Birthday of Alvin Ailey, choreographer. (biography at pbs.org)
Traveling Jewish Theatre in partnership with Epic Arts and The Hub at the JCCSF present. THE BRIGHT RIVER by Tim Barksy with the Everyday Ensemble. Directed by Jeff Raz. Jan. 5 - 16, 2005 BERKELEY Julia Morgan Center for the Arts 2640 College Ave. (N. of Ashby) Shows: Wed. - Fri. at 8pm; Sat. at 7pm & 9pm; Sun. at 3pm   Tim Barsky recreates Dante's Inferno, fusing physical theatre, live music, hip-hop and folklore into an imaginative urban landscape where surrealistic visions dance with radical ideals. Guided by a fixer named Quick, and moving through an urban landscape that is at once both intensely real and fantastic, the play sends us on a mass-transit tour of the Afterlife.

(This play is an excellent opportunity for parents & teens, 12 and up, to see theatre together!)

Tickets: $12 - $35. Discounts for students, seniors and groups of 5 or more. Wednesday and Thursday nights are pay-what-you-can.

For tickets call or click: 415/285-8080 or online at http://www.atjt.com

6Epiphany is one of three major Christian celebrations along with Christmas and Easter. It is celebrated by most Christians on January 6 to commemorate the presentation of the infant Jesus to the Magi, or three wise men. Roman Catholics celebrate Epiphany on the Sunday which falls between January 2 and January 8. 

Epiphany is derived from the Greek epiphaneia and means manifestation or to appear. In a religious context, the term describes the appearance of an invisible divine being in a visible form.

The period between December 25 and January 6 is known as the Twelve Days of Christmas and is the subject of a popular Christmas carol. (from the University of Kansas Medical Center)

Birthday of Kahlil Gibran, choreographer. (Biography)

7 Birthday of Jean-Pierre Rampal, flautist (biography at transartuk.com)

8 Birthday of Stephen Hawking, physicist (biography at hawking.org)

9  Birthday of Richard M. Nixon, 37th President (biography at whitehouse.gov )

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11  Birthday of Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary War figure. (biography)

12Coming of Age Day (Seijin-no-hi):Japan.  Those whose 20th birthday falls between April of the preceding year and March of the current year celebrate their coming of age on this day. Girls dress in formal komonos.(from holidayfestival.com)
 

13Lohri Punjab, Harayana: Bonfires are lit, around which people gather to meet friends and relatives and sing folk songs. Children go from house to house singing, and collecting money and sweets known as Lohri Prasad which have sesame seeds in them, which they are
 supposed to throw into the bonfires. Women and children get special attention at this time and the first Lohri of a bride or a baby child is considered especially important. (from holidayfestivel.com)

Birthday of Charlotte Ray, first African-American woman lawyer in the United States (biography at about.com)

14 Birthday of Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary War traitor. (biography)

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16 Birthday of Dian Fossey, Gorilla researcher. (biography at about.com)

The Oakland Jazz Choir's annual musical tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. This year's special guest will be La Toya london, Oakland's Homegrown "American Idol" finalist. The Calvin Simmons Theater in Oakland (EVENING TIME TO BE ANNOUNCED). Other featured guest will include the Oakland Youth Chorus, The Gospel Hummingbirds. Clifford Brown, Jr. of KDYA and KCSM will emcee. Advance prices are $20 for general admission, $15 for seniors and $6 for children. Outlets for advance tickets are at: Ticketweb (866-468-3399), Laurel Books and Marcus Books in Oakland, Black Oak Books, Cody's on 4th St. and Reids Books in Berkeley. Prices at the door are $22 for general admisison, $17 for senoirs and $6 for children.

17 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.1929-68, American clergyman and civil-rights leader, b. Atlanta, Ga., grad. Morehouse College (B.A., 1948), Crozer Theological Seminary (B.D., 1951), Boston Univ. (Ph.D., 1955). The son of  the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, King became (1954) minister of the Dexter Ave. Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. He led the black boycott (1955-56) of segregated city bus lines and in 1956 gained a major victory and prestige as a civil-rights leader when Montgomery buses began to operate on a desegregated basis. King organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which gave him a base to pursue further civil-rights activities, first in the South and later nationwide. His philosophy of nonviolent resistance led to his arrest on numerous occasions in the 1950s and 60s. His campaigns had mixed success, but the protest he led in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963 brought him worldwide attention. He spearheaded the Aug., 1963, March on Washington, which brought together more than 200,000 people. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.King's leadership in the civil-rights movement was challenged in the mid-1960s as others grew more militant. His interests, however, widened from civil rights to include criticism of the Vietnam War  and a deeper concern over poverty. His plans for a Poor People's March to Washington were interrupted (1968) for a trip to Memphis, Tenn., in support of striking sanitation workers. On Apr. 4, 1968, he was shot and killed as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel (since 1991 a civil-rights museum). (from encyclopedia.com)

Birthday of Benjamin Franklin, Revolutionary era renaissance man (biography from the Franklin Institute)

18World Religion Day. Started by the Baha'i faith on their conviction that humanity is a single people with a common destiny. 

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PTA Meeting at King Middle School. 1781 Rose Street. 7 p.m. In the library.

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PTA Council Meeting. Starts at 7 p.m. Place to be announced.

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22 The Chinese New Year, and the two days following, are observed through much of Asia and wherever there are significant concentrations of Chinese population. It is customary to pay off debts, get new clothes and clean the house. There is usually a big family meal and sacrifices are offered to the Gods.  Presents of cash are given in red envelopes (the color red is considered lucky).  Holidays can be three or even five days long. The 3rd day is also the Birthday of Che Kung. The same dates are also true for Tet in Vietnam and the Lunar New Year in Mongolia. (from the Worldwide Holiday & Festival site)

Birthday of D. W. Griffith, pioneer film pioneer. (biography) 

23 Birthday of Eduard Manet, artist (biography)

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Second grading period/semester ends

25 Birthday of Corazon Aquino, former President of the Philippines (biography)
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26 Birthday of Angela Davis, black activist. (biography at about.com)

27 Birthday of Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland (biography)
Semester Break (secondary)

28Birthday of Jose Marti, Cuban Patriot (biography)

29 Birthday of Huddy (Leadbelly) Ledbetter, singer. (biography)

30 Birthday of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President (biography)

31 Birthday of Jackie Robinson, athlete and civil rights activist (biography)