New Years Day hasn’t always been the first of January. Thousands of years ago, the Ancient Egyptian New Year was in the middle of June, when the River Nile overflowed its banks. Even today, the New Year of the Jews and Hindus is not when we celebrate it. Even in Christian countries New Year has been celebrated on many different occasions.
In 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII caused the making of the calendar which we use today, January 1st was made New Years Day, because it had been so in Ancient Rome.
In Ancient Rome this day was given over to the worship of the god Janus – from which we get the name of the month January
In Roman mythology, Janus (or Ianus) was the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings and endings. His most prominent remnant in modern culture is his namesake, the month of January, which begins the New Year. Janus was usually depicted with two heads facing in opposite directions. According to a legend, he had received these from the god Saturn, in reward for the hospitality received, and the gift to see both future and past. So one of his heads is looking backwards into the Old Year, and the other is looking forwards into the New Year.
It is traditional at this time of year to look back over the last year and then make New Year Resolutions.
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