2015 is coming to a close and everyone is pretty much preparing to welcome 2016 with hopes of a good year. Instead of getting ahead of ourselves and writing down all the New Year's resolutions we can think of, let's find out why we begin the year on Jan.1 anyway.
It is pretty common sense that the new year begins on Jan. 1, after all, the calendar says so. However, it was not always celebrated on that day, nor was there even a month called January.
When Was The New Year Before "New Year?"
Historically, festivities were determined by farming seasons. That is, there is a specific celebration when it's time to plant the crops and a different feast come harvest time. The new planting season is considered the new year that usually falls on the vernal or spring equinox, which is on Mar. 20 or 21. Now take note that this was during the time when the calendar does not have January yet, and March was the first month of the 10-month year.
January and February came into existence only in 700 B.C., when Numa Pompilius wanted to reorganize the calendar for business. Now, Numa Pompilius, the second Roman king was also responsible for ordering the Temple of Janus to be built and this is an interesting information when it comes to the month of January.
Janus is the Roman God of beginnings and transitions. He is depicted with two faces -- one face looking to the past and the other gazing into the future. Since the king added two months at the beginning of the year, perhaps he saw it fitting to begin the calendar with a month named after Janus.
When Did Jan. 1 Become The "New Year?"
If King Numa Pompilius supposedly added January, does that mean the first day of January automatically starts the new year? The quick answer is "No."
It took a long time before Jan. 1 was considered as the start of the new year. To be specific, the year 153 B.C. was the first recorded instance of the day being considered the start of the new year, but only because Roman officials began their tenure on Jan. 1. As for everyone else, they get to decide when they will celebrate the New Year.
By 45 B.C. Julius Caesar wanted a change in the calendar. Not only was Jan. 1 finally and officially instituted as the beginning of the "New Year," the seventh month, Quintilis, was renamed July because Marcus Antonius -- yes, Cleopatra's very own Marc Antony -- wanted to honor Julius Caesar. Following that, Sextilis was called August to honor Augustus Caesar.
When Did Jan. 1 Stopped Being The New Year?
Yes, Jan.1 ceased being the New Year because Julius Caesar's calendar-making team apparently miscalculated the days. While it may sound funny that the New Year stopped because of Julius Caesar's 365.25 days was actually supposed to be 365.242199 days, it mattered to the Council of Tours. For some time before Jan. 1 was recognized again, the New Year was celebrated either in December or in March. Who knew that 0.007801 days could mess up the calendar for many years?
Jan. 1 Returns
By 1582, the Gregorian Calendar was implemented and that is still what we use today. This new calendar not only established the Leap Year every four years, it also reinstated Jan. 1 as the rightful start of the New Year.
Jan. 1 Is Not The Only New Year
Of course, that is only for the Gregorian Calendar since it is rooted in the solar-based Roman calendar.
The Lunar Calendar, more commonly called as "The Chinese Calendar," is a different matter altogether. Still, while the bases of the calendars are different, that doesn't make either of the two less correct. To each culture its own New Year.
