The evolution of New Year’s Eve celebrations
Credit: Amani Hasan
Every year at the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31, the world celebrates the advent of a new year. It’s a celebration that dates back at least four thousand years to ancient Babylon. But what did the first New Year’s Eve celebration look like?
The first new moon after the vernal equinox is when ancient Babylonians marked the new year. This is the day in late March when there is an equal amount of daylight and night.
Illustration of the Mythical Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The ancient Babylonians held a festival called Akitu, which was one of the first “new year” rituals. The festival’s name comes from the Sumerian word for barley that was harvested in the fall and cut in the spring.
Credit: Dace Kiršpile
Eventually, civilizations developed other calendar systems that placed the first day of the year on certain events. In ancient Egypt, the near year started with the rising of the star Sirius, which also flooded the Nile.
Sirius
The Chinese new year begins after the winter solstice on the second new moon. Chinese families gather for an annual dinner called Chúxī (除夕), or “Eve of the Passing Year”.
Moon
The Roman calendar placed the new year at the vernal equinox, and included 304 days across 10 months. King Numa Pompilius added January and February to the calendar.
Romulus and Remus, the Lupercal, Father Tiber, and the Palatine on a relief from a pedestal dating to the reign of Trajan (AD 98-117)
In the modern world, New Year’s Eve is Dec. 31, which is based on the Gregorian calendar.
Pope Gregory XIII celebrating the introduction of the Gregorian calendar.
Credit: Rsuessbr
- Share
- Tweet
