Every December 31st, people gather to celebrate the last day of the Gregorian calendar. Common traditions include attending parties, creating resolutions, going to fireworks shows, and watching the Times Square Ball Drop!

But when did humans begin to celebrate a new year’s arrival, and why do we consider January 1st the first day of the year?

The answer to the first question is straightforward:

The first New Year’s celebrations were recorded about 4,000 years ago in the ancient city of Babylon in Mesopotamia. Babylonians would engage in an 11-day celebration called Akitu on the first full moon after the spring equinox. Different rituals were held on each day of the festival. Statues of Babylonian gods would be carried around the city streets, believing that it cleaned the world for a new spring and new year.

As for the second question, the answer is more complicated:

Romulus, the founder of Rome, instituted the Roman calendar in about 738 B.C.E. It consisted of 10 months and 304 days, with each beginning at the spring equinox. A later ruler of Rome, Numa Pompilius, would add the months Ianuarius (which later became January) and Februarius (which later became February) to the calendar.

Over time, the calendar was pushed out of alignment from the sun, and in 46. B.C, Julius Caesar decided to solve the problem. He consulted with the best astronomers and mathematicians at the time, and eventually introduced the Julian calendar, which is very similar to the Gregorian calendar that we use today.

As part of the changes to the calendar, Caesar established January 1st as the first day of the year to honor the month’s namesake, the Roman god of beginnings, Janus. Janus was said to have two faces: one looking into the past, and the other looking into the future.

All in all, the celebration of a new year is a long-standing holiday that dates back to ancient times. While the exact date and traditions may have changed over time, the spirit of new beginnings and hope for the future remains the same.