All about January 1st

The earliest known New Year celebrations were in Mesopotamia and date back to 2000 B.C.

The early Romans used March 1 as New Year’s Day. But in 1582 — the Gregorian calendar, which marks January 1 as the New Year, was adopted by the Roman Catholic Church. While other cultures used the autumn equinox or the winter solstice to mark the New Year.

January is named after Janus, the god with two faces, one looking forward and one looking backward.

New Year traditions

New Year is the time when many people traditionally make resolutions to break bad habits or start good ones. Most New Year’s traditions are believed to ensure good luck for the coming year. Many parts of the US observe the tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day for good luck.

It is believed that the Babylonians were the first to make New Year’s resolutions, and people all over the world have been breaking them ever since. The early Christians believed the first day of the New Year should be spent reflecting on past mistakes and resolving to improve oneself in the New Year.