© 2020 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Still, there were so many adjustments to their calendar by their rulers, in part — this may be hard to believe — to extend their terms of office, that calendar dates no longer were synchronized with any astronomical movements. History of the Midnight Justices: Who Appoints the Supreme Court? When the city banned fireworks in 1907, an electrician devised a wood-and-iron ball that weighed 700 pounds, was illuminated with 100 light bulbs and was dropped from a flagpole at midnight on New Year’s Eve. “Auld Lang Syne,” the title of a Scottish folk song that many English speakers sing at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, roughly translates to “days gone by.” The poet Robert Burns is credited with transcribing, adapting and partially rewriting it in the late 18th century. By the way, the Julian calendar was used for over 1600 years in Europe and European colonies and is still used by the Eastern Orthodox Church. But because there were also the priestly religious observances held at this time, it caused a cry from the populace for the “separation of church and state-championships.”. Many other countries have traditions that might be lesser well-known — for instance, in Colombia, people run around the house (or block) with a suitcase to ensure that the upcoming year is filled with travel, and the Danes jump off of chairs at the stroke of midnight to literally "leap" into a luck-filled new year. Throughout time, different cultures and civilizations typically welcomed the new year during a significant astronomical or agricultural event — like the Romans who celebrated in March, following their lunar cycle — until 46 B.C., when the emperor Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar. But did you know that the start of the new year wasn't always celebrated on January 1, or that it was first commemorated with a festival lasting a total of 11 days? Wherever you choose to celebrate, though, fireworks and confetti are usually involved! But the Romans moved the date of New Year to January 1, as I’ll explain below, but first a little on calendars. From the origins of "Auld Lang Syne" to traditional foods, find out more about the history of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The age-old custom of breaking one’s newly formed resolutions within several months—a fate that befalls the majority of would-be reformers, according to statistics—probably originated shortly thereafter. The earliest recording of a new year celebration is believed to have been in Mesopotamia, c. 2000 B.C. So before you ring in 2020 with a glass of bubbly, take a look back at the fascinating history behind the holiday — and be sure to check out our best ideas for New Year's 2020 afterwards. Throughout antiquity, civilizations around the world developed increasingly sophisticated calendars, typically pinning the first day of the year to an agricultural or astronomical event. People have been pledging to change their ways in the new year—whether by getting in shape, quitting a bad habit or learning a skill—for an estimated 4,000 years now. Though the date of New Year's Day is obvious to us now, the holiday wasn't always celebrated in January. Bill Petro is a technology sales enablement executive with extensive experience in Cloud Computing, Automation, Data Center, Information Storage, Big Data/Analytics, Mobile, and Social technologies. The world-famous celebration dates back to 1904, when the New York Times newspaper relocated to what was then known as Longacre Square and convinced the city to rename the neighborhood in its honor. Either way, this 11-day festival would probably have put our current New Year's Eve parties to shame! This was also the first day of the year in the original Julian calendar and of the Roman calendar (after 153 BC).. Sometimes accompanied by Father Time, “Baby New Year” has appeared in banners, cartoons, posters and cards for several hundred years. Setting the date for the universal observance of Easter has caused international controversy — including at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 — and occasioned several calendar reforms. The Romans also celebrated the New Year in March. On this newly-dated holiday, the Romans celebrated not only by offering sacrifices to Janus, but also by exchanging gifts, attending parties, and decorating their homes with laurel branches. The ancient Babylonians were the first recorded observers of New Year festivities some 4,000 years ago and marked it with the priests offering sacrifices at their temple, kind of like their church. In ancient Rome, the original calendar consisted of 10 months and 304 days, with each new year beginning at the vernal equinox; according to tradition, it was created by Romulus, the founder of Rome, in the eighth century B.C. What do Paul Revere, J. Edgar Hoover, Lorenzo de Medici, Betsy Ross and Pope Alexander VI have in common? HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. For these Mesopotamians, the beginning of the new year was heralded by the first new moon after the vernal equinox — which took place around late March — and was celebrated with a huge 11-day festival called Akitu, which involved a different ritual on each of its days. The jury is still out on whether this has quieted New Year’s celebrations. Julius Caesar decided to solve the problem by consulting with the most prominent astronomers and mathematicians of his time. According to tradition, babies born on the first of the year grow up to enjoy the luckiest of lives, bringing joy and good fortune to those around them. The use of a baby as a personification of the new year has been traced to ancient Greece, where an infant in a basket was paraded around to mark the annual rebirth of Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility. Early New Year’s Celebrations The earliest recorded festivities in honor of a new year’s arrival date back some 4,000 years to ancient Babylon. Originally it was celebrated late in March when Spring begins with the Vernal Equinox. Previous civilizations celebrated it in March to observe the “new year” of growth and fertility. But because the date for Easter Sunday can vary so much — it’s the first Sunday after the first Paschal Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox, and let’s not forget Leap Year — there are 70 different calendars. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system today, New Year occurs on January 1 (New Year's Day). We all know the iconic New Year's tradition of the ball-drop in New York City's Time Square as the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve — but how exactly did this fascinating tradition in New Year's history come about? In Egypt, for instance, the year began with the annual flooding of the Nile, which coincided with the rising of the star Sirius. It wasn’t always that way. According to an article by The Washington Post, this particular practice is thought to have been passed down from English and German folklore, which held that the first person you encountered in the new year would determine the year's destiny — with the custom changing over time to actually choosing who you wanted the year's good luck to be shared with. The real story behind NYE traditions across the world. In Sweden and Norway, meanwhile, rice pudding with an almond hidden inside is served on New Year’s Eve; it is said that whoever finds the nut can expect 12 months of good fortune. But because there were also the priestly religious observances held at this time, it caused … Post was not sent - check your email addresses! If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the. Before calendars existed, the time between seed sowing and harvesting was considered a cycle or a year. In more recent years, various towns and cities across America have developed their own versions of the Times Square ritual, organizing public drops of items ranging from pickles (Dillsburg, Pennsylvania) to possums (Tallapoosa, Georgia) at midnight on New Year’s Eve. — to ancient Babylon. Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian www.billpetro.com. Because pigs represent progress and prosperity in some cultures, pork appears on the New Year’s Eve table in Cuba, Austria, Hungary, Portugal and other countries. For can't-miss news, expert beauty advice, genius home solutions, delicious recipes, and lots more, sign up for the Good Housekeeping newsletter. Champagne toasts, countdown parties, the iconic ball drop at Times Square — New Year's Eve is famously known for its rowdy, fun-filled festivities honoring the start of the new calendar, and is one of the most celebrated holidays around the world. If you don’t account for Easter, there are only 14 different permutations of the de facto international standard Gregorian Calendar (named after Pope Gregory XIII who established it in 1582) now commonly in use. Though sung on New Year’s Eve since the mid-19th century, it became firmly cemented as a holiday standard when Guy Lombardo and the Royal … Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. According to History.com, the earliest recorded celebration to honor the new year is believed to date back some 4,000 years — in 2,000 B.C. Typical New Year's traditions range from enjoying foods thought to bestow good luck to making resolutions for the coming year — a practice that's actually thought to have originated from the ancient Babylonians! run around the house (or block) with a suitcase, The Fascinating History Behind Baby New Year, 7 Fascinating Facts About Black Friday History, Make a Festive New Year's Eve Table Runner, The Most Dramatic New Year's Eve TV Moments Ever. In general, a Julian date can be calculated as thirteen days earlier than (behind) the Gregorian Calendar date. When was the first New Year’s Eve ball dropped in New York’s Times Square? The band went on to perform the hit every year until 1976, and loudspeakers continue to blast their rendition after the annual ball drop in Times Square.

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