The New Year is one of the oldest festivals of the world, dating back to the pre historic era. It is the world’s most popularly celebrated festival. It is celebrated around the globe with great joy and hope. It has been an essential part of the cultural and traditional practices of the different communities inhabiting the world. New Year marks the beginning of another year and is celebrated on the 1st day of the coming year, which, generally falls on January 1st. Countries following the Gregorian Calendar celebrate the New Year on this date. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII of Rome introduced this calendar with the a year from January 1st to December 31st. This calendar, according to his name was called as Gregorian Calendar. Gradually Gregorian Calendar gained acceptance in several countries across the world.
Origin of New Year:- Perhaps, everybody would like to know how the New Year celebration began, from where it originated and what is so important about the festival. The history of New Year has undergone a series of changes over the ages to achieve its global form. The urge of celebrating New Year as a vibrant festivity emerged at the dawn of civilization. Origin of the New Year dates back to the era of great ancient emperors. They thought of celebrating a special day which should dot a day for beginning and end of the year. For the first time, New Year was celebrated in Mesopotamia around 2000 BC. It was celebrated at the time of Equinox in mid-March by the Egyptians, Persians and Phoenicians while Greeks celebrated it on winter solstice.
Ancient New Year Calendar:- As per the ancient Roman calendar New Year was on March 1st. This calendar just had 10 months and March was the 1st month of the year. The calendar originated by the cycles of the moon, beginning in spring and ending with autumn planting.
Inclusion of Two Calendar Months:-It was Numa Pompilius, the 2nd king of Rome who divided the year into 12 lunar months by adding the months of January and February in 153 BC. The New Year was shifted to January as it marked the beginning of the civil years in Rome. But this was not fully accepted by the people of Rome and they continued celebrating in the month of March.
January 1- as the Official Date of New Year Celebrations:- The Roman emperor Julius Caesar implemented the Julian calendar which was created based on the solar system whereas the previous calendars were based on the lunar cycle. Caesar officially declared January 1 to be a New Year in 46 B.C. Romans worshiped God Janus who had two faces, one looking forward and the other looking backward. The month of January was named after this Roman God and it gave an idea to the emperor to establish January as a gate to the New Year. It is said Caesar celebrated January 1 as New Year by ordering the revolutionary Jewish forces to route back.
People began New Year celebrations on January 1 for many years. They ritualized the beginning of the year by acting and reenacting the world of the past before peace proliferated. People learned January as first month of the year, and with this the tradition of following Julian calendar, named after Julius Caesar continued.
Abolition of Roman New Year Date:- In the medieval period, Pagan festivals were given more importance and March 25 was announced as the beginning of the New Year. March 25 was called the Annunciation Day as on this day Mary got the news that she should be impregnated. Later, the King of England ensured that Jesus’ birth December 25 should be commemorated as New Year.
Gregorian Calendar:- Gregorian Calendar is a modification of the Julian Calendar established by the Roman Emperor, Julius Caesar in 46 BC. Pope Gregory XIII abolished the old Julian calendar and introduced Gregorian calendar which comprised of a leap year after every four years to maintain balance between seasons and calendar. It was readily accepted by the Catholics and then by the Protestants and soon became a holiday recognized by the entire world slowly and steadily. Finally, in 1582, Gregorian calendar was set to celebrate New Year on the 1st day of January.