Source: The Wichita Eagle
http://www.kansas.com/194/story/266300.html
Bob Carver, a Buddhist from Grapevine, Texas, won't be popping champagne corks on New Year's Eve. Instead, he will pray, chant and make resolutions that won't be forgotten in a day or two.
"The New Year for Buddhists is a serious time for re-determination -- a chance to start over," said Carver, a computer-security specialist. "We pray for wisdom and to do the right thing."
Although the fact that he's a Buddhist in the Bible Belt sometimes surprises people, Carver says his life is enriched through his practice of Nicherin Buddhism, which since 1873 has celebrated New Year's on Jan. 1, using the solar calendar. Many other Buddhists in this area and around the world follow the lunar calendar and celebrate the coming of the new year in the spring.