Miscellaneous, Informative, Trivia

Did You Know

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

New Year’s resolutions started nearly 4,000 years ago.

© iStock

The Babylonians celebrated their new year in mid-March, marking the start of the planting season. During this 12-day festival (Akitum), they made commitments to the gods such as returning borrowed farm equipment or paying debts in the hope of receiving good fortune. The Romans adopted this concept, naming the first month January after Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings and endings, looking to the past and the future. Romans also pledged good behavior and loyalty to the emperor at the start of the year.

In the Middle Ages, knights celebrated the New Year with grand feasts, religious observances (Epiphany or Annunciation), giving small gifts, making music, playing dice or chess, and potentially the famous (though debated) Peacock Vow of swearing chivalric oaths over a roasted peacock …. all within a mix of feasting, community, and spiritual focus on survival and good fortune.

Christians later adopted the new year as a time for religious reflection. Over time, resolutions shifted from appeasing deities to personal self-improvement, focusing on secular goals like health and habits, a trend cemented by the modern calendar and widespread adoption of January 1st as New Years Day.

Happy New Year, my friends! Party like it’s 2000 BCE!

You read it here first, kids. 😎

NAR©2025

This is “Same Old Lang Syne” by Dan Fogelberg

All text and graphics are copyright for Nancy Richy and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

 

31 thoughts on “Did You Know”

  12. Thanks for the history, very interesting indeed. I always say it’s rubbish to come up with resolutions (I love the photo on your post), but in my mind I always do to some extent. This year, I’ll… Wishing you a peaceful and joy-filled year ahead, Nancy!!

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