New Year's Day History

Have a Happy New Year Weekend!

You don't need to know any history to accept your party invitation and have a great time.

The party bouncer will probably not stop you if you can't answer these questions.

1. What ancient culture started the tradition of celebrating on December 31st?
2. What god is associated with the New Year tradition?
3. What is unique about that god's appearance?
4. What was the significance of opening or closing the gates at this god's temple?

However, if you're curious or just want to ensure that you are ready for the bouncer's pop quiz, here are the answers that will get you in the door.

1. Many cultures celebrate their New Year. However, Rome's Julius Caesar (1) introduced the Julian calendar that marks the year's end on December 31st and New Year's Day on January 1st.
2. The Roman god, Janus (2), is associated with New Year's day. He is the god of transitions, particularly those from past to present. January is named after him.
3. Janus is depicted with two faces. One face reviews and analyzes the past while the other face looks hopefully toward the future. In the Roman world, his likeness adorned the tops of doorframes, symbolizing their ability to distinguish exit from the entrance, past to the future.
4. The gates of Janus's temple opened during wartime and were closed for periods of peace (3).

Did I mention that not all cultures celebrate New Year's Day on January 1st?

The list of countries not recognizing January 1st as the start of a new year (4)

• China
• Korea
• Vietnam
• Mongolia
• Thailand
• Iran
• Israel
• Sri Lanka
• Cambodia
• Ethiopia
• India
• Saudi Arabia

Our Wish for 2023

At Softype, we wish to close the gates in 2023, bringing peace, love, and joy to our world, regardless of our geography or culture.

References

(1) History.com Editors, December 29, 2022, New Year's, History, https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/new-years

(2) Sara Long, December 27, 2020, Janus and the Ritual of the New Year, Common Era, https://commonera.com/blogs/the-common-cause/janus-and-the-ritual-of-the-new-year

(3) Peter Paul Rubens, December 31, 2017, Who was Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and?endings? The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/who-was-janus-the-roman-god-of-beginnings-and-endings-86853

(4) Simmi Kamboj, Countries that do not celebrate New Year on 1st January, RitiRiwaz, https://www.ritiriwaz.com/countries-that-do-not-celebrate-new-year-on-1st-january/