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In just a short time, the nighttime air will ring out with the joyous cries of “Happy New Year!” Glittery balls and assorted other regional items will symbolically drop, kisses will be exchanged with friends and strangers alike, the champagne will flow, and good cheer will reign. But what is the history of New Year’s? And why do we celebrate New Year’s Day in the manner we do?
Celebrating the New Year is actually the oldest of all holidays in civilization. As far as historians can tell, the first to ring in the New Year were the Babylonians, almost 4000 years ago. Back then, the New Year was registered as the very first new moon after the Vernal Equinox, or First Day of Spring. The Babylonians celebrated for eleven days straight, with each day having a slightly different twist. That makes our one night of revelry pale in comparison!
 The Babylonians also began the tradition of New Year’s resolutions. People commonly made promises to themselves and others as to things they would do differently in the New Year. Of course, the resolutions themselves have changed over the years. The Babylonians were most concerned about their farms and livelihoods when they made their promises for the New Year, quite unlike the most common modern concern regarding one’s waistline.
Other ancient cultures also celebrated the New Year, although at different times of the year. The Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Persians all began their New Year with the fall equinox, with the ensuing harvest symbolizing the bounty and rebirth of the year. The Ancient Greeks celebrated it at the Winter Solstice, after the bounty of the harvest had already passed.
The Romans continued the Babylonians’ method of celebrating the New Year, including the timing at the start of spring. However, as each emperor changed the Roman calendar to suit his whims, the New Year celebration started moving further and further away from anything pertaining to the solar or lunar calendars. This went on until 153 BC, when the Roman senate declared January 1st as the first day of the New Year. Subsequent emperors still tried to tamper with the calendar until the rise of Julius Caesar. In 46 BC, he established the calendar many still use today, the Julian calendar. In order to reset the current year to ensure that everything coincided with the solar calendar, Caesar had to let that year continue for 445 days. Once everything was synched back up, January 1st as we know it was established and continues to this day.
As the Catholic Church rose to power during the time of the Romans, the Church began to weigh more heavily on what was an appropriate celebration of the New Year. At first, the Church condemned the still-popular days-long festivities as pagan. As the Church grew and splintered, several of the off-shoots began adding religious celebrations to the traditional New Year celebration in order to bring more people into the fold. Some denominations to this day recognize January 1st as the Feast of Christ’s Circumcision.
The main body of the Church, however, still frowned upon the celebration of New Year’s. As the Church rose to its pinnacle of political power in the Middle Ages, it shut down the celebrations altogether. Instead, various branches of Christianity recognized the start of the New Year at various times. Some chose December 25th, with Jesus’ birth being the start of the New Year. Others chose times in March, either the 1st at the Feast of the Annunciation, or the 25th on Easter, with Jesus’ death and resurrection thus bringing forth the New Year.
It wasn’t until the Gregorian calendar was established in 1582 that the New Year’s celebrations on January 1st as we know them today returned. While most Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendar almost immediately, it took much longer for Protestant countries to do so. For example, Britain (and, subsequently, its colonies including America) did not adopt the new calendar until 1752. Until then, all those in the British Empire still celebrated the New Year in March.
The tradition of using a baby to signify the New Year is another ancient one. Early Egyptians used babies to symbolize rebirth, forming the foundation of this concept. It was the Ancient Greeks, however, who began using the baby at the New Year around 600 BC. They would celebrate the god of wine and spirit of fertility Dionysus by carrying a baby around the town in a basket. When the Church rose to power and denounced the gods of the Greeks and Romans, they instead allowed people to continue to carry a baby around at New Year as long as it was meant to symbolize the baby Jesus. Baby New Year as we know him today carrying the banner of the Happy New Year began in the fourteenth century in Germany.
Fireworks to ring in the New Year are credited to the Chinese, who invented fireworks in ancient times. They began using fireworks as part of their spectacular New Year’s celebrations, and the custom was adopted by many Western cultures as the years have passed. The Chinese believe that the fireworks dispel evil spirits with their noise and fire and bring good luck in their wake. Many communities and families now celebrate the New Year with a bevy of fireworks.
Food, including chocolate, has always been an important part of many New Year’s celebrations. In the Netherlands, many people eat doughnuts on New Year’s Day. The round shape symbolizes the year coming around “full circle” and is believed to bring luck. In many parts of the United States, particularly in the South, people eat black-eyed peas and ham or “Hoppin’ John” each New Year’s. Originally, the ham was meant to symbolize prosperity, and the peas were thought to be extremely lucky. In several Asian cultures, cabbage leaves and rice are the traditional meal for the New Year, symbolizing wealth and luck, respectively.
Chinese New Year, is often celebrated with traditional,
hand-made Dragon Beard Candy.
These traditions have continued for several generations, even though many people in modern times don’t know the origin of the symbolism itself.
However you decide to celebrate New Year’s this year, know that the history of New Year’s is as old as modern civilization itself. And as you ring in the New Year, may it bring you and your loved ones much happiness.
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