When did it all begin? Ancient Babylonians apparently get the credit for implementing new year’s festivities over 4,000 years ago. They were more liberal with their festivities and celebrated for 11 days rather than just the 1 day we allow ourselves. Their timing was also different as they believed the new year began at the first new moon after the vernal equinox in late March.

When did things change? That would first have been around 46 B.C. when Julius Caesar - consulting with prominent astronomers and mathematicians - introduced the Julian calendar and designated January 1 as the first day of the year. Why, you might wonder, did he choose January 1? This was apparently done to honor the Roman god Janus, whose two faces allowed the opportunity to look back to the past as well as forward to the future.

Then the date changed again. Christians determined that the holiday and the celebrations honoring Janus were pagan in nature, so they changed the date of the new year to December 25 in order to honor the birth of Jesus.

But that was not the last of it! In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII had modifications made to the Julian calendar and it was renamed - you guessed it - the Gregorian calendar. Per this calendar, the new year was again officially observed on January 1, where it remains to this day.

Where does it begin these days? Due to their proximity just to the west of the international date line, the Pacific island groups of Samoa and Kiribati are the very first locations in the world to celebrate the new year. Around the world, midnight is often celebrated with a toast, the sharing of a hug or kiss, and watching fireworks. Many cultures also incorporate certain foods, clothing, songs and other traditions into their celebrations. (More on that in the Resources section below.)

Resolutions or Intentions? Lastly, I want to mention the tradition of the new year resolution. A resolution is a statement about changing or fixing something you don’t like about yourself or your life. In order to determine what you are going to fix you first focus on what you consider to be wrong. I dislike directing energies to the negative. Rather than resolutions, I prefer the new year intention. An intention doesn’t imply that something is wrong, but simply focuses on manifesting greater abundance in your life. The distinction between the two is small but, in my opinion, significant. (By the way, research says 23% of people who make resolutions give up by the end of the first week. That number increases to 43% by the end of January.) So consider forgoing the resolutions you’ll likely break, and move forward with positivity by setting one or more new year intentions.

Sending you love, light and wishes for a joyous 2024.