The new year may come with a host of cheesy slogans, high expectations, social graces, and sanctimonious proclamations, but, as usual, a deeper look into the holiday and the traditions behind it reveal a rather inspiring amalgamation of celebrations, beliefs, ceremonies, and customs that compose a truly beautiful holiday celebration package.
The earliest record of celebrating the new year date back some 4,000 years to ancient Babylon. For the Babylonians, the first new moon following the vernal equinox in late March (where there is an equal amount of sunlight and darkness) heralded the start of a new year. They marked the occasion with a festival called Akitu (derived from the Sumerian word for barley, which was cut around this time). Akitu involved a different ritual on each of its 11 days. It was also during this time that a new king was crowned or that the current ruler’s divine mandate was symbolically renewed.
The early Roman calendar consisted of 10 months and 304 days, with each new year beginning at the vernal equinox. According to tradition, this calendar was created by Romulus, the founder of Rome, in the eighth century B.C. Later, King Numa Pompilius, added the months of Januarius and Februarius. Over the centuries, the calendar fell out of sync with the sun, and in 46 B.C., Julius Ceasar attempted to solve the problem by consulting with the most prominent astronomers and mathematicians of the time. He introduced the Julian calendar, which closely resembles the more modern Gregorian calendar that most countries around the world use today.
The name January was a tribute to the month’s namesake: Janus, the Roman god of beginnings. Janus had two faces which allowed him to look back into the past and forward into the future. Romans celebrated the first day of the new year by offering sacrifices to Janus, exchanging gifts with one another, decorating their homes with laurel branches, and attending raucous parties.
In early medieval times most of Christian Europe regarded March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year. William the Conqueror decreed that the year began on Jan. 1, but England later joined the rest of Christendom and adopted March 25. The Gregorian calendar, adopted in 1582 by the Roman Catholic Church, restored Jan. 1 as New Year’s Day, and most European countries gradually followed suit -Scotland in 1660, Germany and Denmark around 1700, England in 1752, and Russia as late as 1918. In medieval Europe, Christian leaders temporarily replaced Jan. 1 as the first of the year with days carrying more religious significance, such as Dec. 25 (the symbolic anniversary of Jesus’ birth) and March 25 (the Feast of the Annunciation). Pope Gregory XIII reestablished January 1 as New Year’s Day in 1582.
Many of the customs of New Year festivals dichotomously note the passing of time with regret and anticipation. The baby used as a a symbol of the new year and an old man representing the year that has passed dates back to ancient Greece. The practice of making resolutions to rid oneself of bad habits and energy also dates to ancient times. These early resolutions were likely made in an attempt to curry favor with the gods. In the West, particularly in English-speaking countries, the nostalgic Scottish ballad “Auld Lang Syne” revised by the poet Robert Burns, is often sung on New Year’s Eve. The song begins by posing a rhetorical question: Is it right for old times to be forgotten? The answer is generally interpreted as a call to remember long-standing friendships and family.
Symbolic foods are often part of New Year festivities. Many Europeans eat cabbage or other greens to ensure prosperity in the coming year, while people in the American South prepare black-eyed peas for good luck. For Ugadi in southern India, a special culinary preparation called ugadi pachadi combines multiple flavors, and depending on the person eating it tasting a sweeter or more bitter flavor is what determines the luck of their year to come. Throughout Asia, special foods such as dumplings, noodles, and rice cakes are eaten, and elaborate dishes feature various ingredients whose names or appearance symbolize long life, happiness, wealth, and good fortune.
In Scotland, Isle of Man, and Northern England a custom called “First Foot” takes place on New Year’s Day. The first guest to cross the threshold, or “first foot,” is significant and may bring good luck if the person is of the right physical type, which varies with location. In Spain on New Year’s Eve, many people follow a unique tradition that dates back to the 19th-century known as uvas de la suerte, or “lucky grapes.” There are conflicting reports about the exact origins of the tradition, but the two most likely versions are that: Grape growers in Alicante came up with the custom in the early 1900s after a bountiful harvest left them with too many grapes and farmers needed a ploy to sell them. Others trace it to the 1880s, when Madrid’s bourgeoisie adopted French habits like drinking champagne and eating grapes on New Year’s Eve. Over time, the current day tradition consisted of people eating one grape at each chime as the clock strikes midnight. Each grape represents a month of the coming year. If you finish all twelve in time before the twelfth chime you’ll have good luck; if you fail, you will not be so fortunate.
Closer to home, celebrations of New Year’s Eve are usually characterized by public gatherings. Times Square in New York City draws large crowds and the countdown with the infamous New Year’s Eve ball to signify the exact moment at which the new year begins. This event is televised worldwide and for the first time ever, it will drop twice this year -once at 12 a.m. and then again clad in red, white, and blue at 12:04 a.m. to signify Americas 250th birthday.
On the West Coast, the first Rose Bowl Game was played in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 1902, and other college football games have come to dominate American television on New Year’s Day. The Tournament of Roses Parade, featuring floats constructed of live roses and flowers as well as the Mummers’ Parade in Philadelphia are popular New Year’s Day events.
Here in Boston, it will be the 50th Boston’s First Night Celebration. Activities will start as early as 10 a.m. with plenty of family-friendly events, including a sing-along at the Boston Public Market, archery lessons on the Boston Common at noon, and ice skating shows at the Frog Pond throughout the afternoon. Performances at City Hall Plaza begin at 2 p.m., with Boston-based rock band Leaving Irene opening the event. The Sultans end the performances of 2025 at 11:30 p.m. and fireworks will kick off at the stroke of midnight. All First Night performances are open to the public but are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Once the New Year’s Eve celebrations are concluded and we have sauntered back home a little worse for wear after a night of frivolity, you might be inspired to clean up a bit from the holiday hoopla. Luckily, there are several local businesses offering just the things to align, relax, heal, and invigorate. Sure, New Year’s resolutions are jokingly called “the first week of January’s to-do list”, but even if you only dip a toe into your efforts, it’s better than nothing! If anything, you are just joining the ancient Greeks in seeing the new year as a symbolic reset and goal-setting opportunity, and that is hardly seasonally en vogue, it is timeless.
Here are some local businesses that can add some calm and clarity to your year ahead:
Shanti Shala Yoga and Wellness Center
55 Pleasant St., Carver
https://shantishalayoga.com
111 Love Yoga
111 Upland Rd., Plympton
J Norrie Beauty and Spa
368 Main St., Plympton
(781) 585-0080
Soul Purpose Wellness Studio
274 Plymouth St., Halifax
https://soulpurposewellnessstudio.com
Natural Body Works
161 Summer St., Kingston
Skin Esteem Med Spa and Wellness Center
214 Main St., Kingston
https://www.skinesteemmedspa.com
Kingsbury Club and Spa
86 Summer St., Kingston