History of the Holidays: New Years Day

New Year's Day is January 1st, and it is the most widely observed public holiday in the world

For all of our lives, we have greeted the new year at the stroke of midnight on December 31st each year.

But this wasn't always the case.

Let's take a look at the history of New Year's Day

The first recorded New Year’s celebration dates back 4,000 years to Babylon.

But it wasn't in January. The first moon after the spring equinox marked the new year.

We still celebrate that New Year, we just call it Easter instead.

New Year's Day was originally observed on March 15th in the old Roman Calendar.

Spring was a popular time for New Year in Rome as it marked the start of the growing season and also when military campaigns would get underway.

When January and February were added during one of the many attempts to clean up the calendar, they were added to the end of the year.

'Januarius' was named after Janus, the Roman god of doors and gates.

Janus had two faces, one facing forward and one looking back, a fitting name for the month at the start of the year.

Although Julius Caesar created a calendar with January 1st as New Year's Day in 46BC, most people ignored this and continued to celebrate New Year in spring.

It wasn't until 1582 when the Roman Catholic Church officially adopted Pope Gregory's Calendar that New Year's Day moved from April 1st to January 1st

Those who didn't move to the Gregorian Calendar and date for New Year were called April Fools.

Until the Gregorian calendar replaced the Julian one in 1752, the new year in England began on March 25th.

Some countries don't celebrate New Year's Day on Jan 1st

*** New Year Facts

All racehorses in the Northern Hemisphere celebrate their birthday on 1st January.

Until 1972, the national anthem of the Maldives was sung to the tune of ‘Auld Lang Syne’.

Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball was first dropped in 1907 after there was a fireworks ban.

*** New Year Traditions Around the World

In Italy, people wear red underwear on New Year’s Day to bring good luck all year long. The tradition dates back to medieval times.

In the Philippines, people wear polka dots. Roundness signifies prosperity so they fill pockets with coins and eat circular fruits too.

Spaniards eat a grape for each chime of the clock at midnight. Whoever finishes before the chimes end gets luck and happiness in the coming year.

An Irish New Year’s tradition is to open the back door of the house just before midnight to “let the Old Year out” and open the front door to “let the New Year in”.

Read more at https://www.officeholidays.com/holida...


Music: Auld Lang Syne (Instrumental Jazz) by E's Jammy Jams