A 19th century Father Time with Baby New Year

Detail of Father Time in the Rotunda Clock (1896) by John Flanagan, Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C.

Father Time is a personification of time. He is usually depicted as an elderly bearded man, dressed in a robe, carrying a scythe and an hourglass or other timekeeping device (representing time's constant movement). This image derives from many sources, including the Grim Reaper and Chronos, the Greek god of time.

Because of their similarity in name as pertaining to parental figures, he is sometimes paired with Mother Nature/Earth as a married couple.^{[citation needed]}

In various New Year's Eve customs, Father Time's image is used as the personification of the previous year (or "the Old Year"), who "hands over" the duties of time to the Baby New Year (or "the New Year"). In this case, his old age is emphasized (in particular, he may be depicted walking with the aid of a stick).

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[edit] External links

• Article on origin of Father Time
• Old Father Time

v • d • e Time in religion and mythology Major subjects Time — Cosmology · Religion · Mythology — Eternity · Arguments for eternity · Immortality Ritual · Religious festival · New moon — Destiny and fate · Predestination · Prophecy · Oracle · Divination · Eschatology · Millennialism Time Portal Time and fate deities of antiquity Egyptian — Hemsut · Huh Ancient Near East — Ashima · Ishtar · Mamitu · Mammetun · Manah · Manu the Great · Meni Greek — The Fates: Moirae — Atropos · Clotho · Lachesis Ananke · Geras · Horae · Kairos · Khronos · Tyche Roman — The Fates: Parcae — Decima · Morta · Nona Camenae: Antevorte/Porrima · Carmenta · Egeria · Postverta Aeternitas · Anna Perenna · Caerus · Chronos · Fortuna · Vertumnus Etruscan — Nortia · Tinia Norse — Norns (Urðr · Verðandi · Skuld) Day: (Dagr · Skinfaxi) · Night: (Nótt · Hrímfaxi) · Seasons: (Sumarr and Vetr) · Old age: Elli Baltic — Dalia · Lauma Polish — Sudz Romanian — Fates: Ursitoare Other European — Matres and Matrones · Father Time · Beten Philippine — Kan-Laon Hinduism Kalpa · Manvantara · Yuga · Kāla (time) · Hindu calendar · Hindu units of measurement  · Kali Buddhism Wheel of time · Kalachakra · Maitreya · Uposatha Judaism Ancient of Days · Ein Sof · Hebrew calendar · Missing years · Jewish holidays · Passover · Shabbat · Shabbaton · Shmita Christianity Byzantine calendar · Gregorian calendar · Liturgical year · Sabbath in Christianity · Sabbath in seventh-day churches · Easter · Computus · Moveable feast · Easter controversy · Quartodecimanism · Reform of the date of Easter · Day of the Vow Islam Islamic calendar · Jumu'ah · Muslim holidays · Predestination in Islam Other traditions Babylonian calendar · Pentecontad calendar · Dreamtime / The Dreaming · Oracle bone · Maya calendar Related topics Week-day names