Have you ever wondered why, across diverse cultures spanning the globe, January 1st is universally recognized as the start of a new year? The roots of this collective agreement delve deep into history, touching upon the intriguing concepts of acculturation, assimilation, and amalgamation. Here’s brief synopsis from: https://resolutiondenver.com/history-of-new-years-eve/.
Several historical moments paved the way to making New Year’s Eve the holiday that we know and love today. Read on to know the history of New Year’s Eve and appreciate the holiday more!
How New Year Celebrations Began
The first known record of New Year’s celebrations began about 2000 B.C. in Mesopotamia. This occurred at the time of the vernal equinox, which is toward the end of March. Babylonians would have a religious festival named Akitu taken from the Sumerian term for barley. They’d perform various rituals, which would last for 11 days.
Besides celebrating the New Year, Atiku also marked the time that Marduk, Babylonian’s sky god, defeated Tiamat, the evil sea goddess. Meanwhile, the New Year for Persians, Egyptians, and Phoenicians would start in the fall equinox. Greeks used to celebrate the New Year during the winter solstice.
March 1 as the New Year
In the early Roman calendar, there were 10 months or 304 days only. Then, it was March 1 that marked the New Year. So, the ninth through twelfth months or September through December that we often hear was first called seventh through tenth months.
January 1 as the New Year
The origin of January 1 marking the New Year dates back to 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar developed the solar-based Julian calendar. This was after the old lunar-based Roman calendar became ineffective.
Another reason behind making January 1 the start of the New Year was to honor Janus — the Roman god of beginnings who had two faces. This means that he could go back to the past and move forward to the future.
To celebrate the occasion, ancient people would offer sacrifices to the god of beginnings, add laurel branches to their homes as decorations, and exchange gifts.
However, the New Year celebrations were paganistic. So, January 1 was removed as the start of the year. December 25, the day Jesus was born, was then considered the beginning of the New Year. March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, was also used as a replacement for January 1.
As we stand on the threshold of yet another “new year”, it’s worth reflecting on how acculturation, assimilation, amalgamation and indoctrination brought us to this global agreement on the start of the new year. What other shared customs might we uncover by delving deeper into the interplay of cultures and the evolution of our global calendar? The answers lie in the fascinating intersection of history, symbolism, occultism, religion and the ongoing dialogue between diverse societies.
From the Blog Author, Al Wagner. My faith is Scriptural and boldly stated.
YAHUSHUA 24:15 “And if it seems evil in your eyes to serve יהוה, choose for yourselves this day whom you are going to serve, whether the mighty ones which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the mighty ones of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But I and my house, we serve יהוה.” – https://www.bible.com/bible/316/JOS.24.TS2009
And יהוה spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon in the land of Mitsrayim, saying, this new moon is the beginning of new moons for you, it is the first new moon of the year for you. (…It is the Pĕsaḥ of יהוה – SHEMOTH (EXODUS) 12:14)