A History of New Years

By Trey Duff

Every year on December 31st when the clock strikes midnight, people all around the world celebrate the coming of the the new year. However, New Year’s has not always been celebrated on this day. The first recorded celebration of the New Year was around 2000 BCE in Mesopotamia, however, they did not celebrate like we do in modern times. Their festival was around the middle of March, which is shortly after the new moon. Over time, many different days were used to celebrate the New Year, but the day that we know best for the celebration of January 1st has been the day of celebration since around 46 BC. This day was chosen by Julius Caesar after he brought up the problem of the year no longer aligning with the seasons to the best astronomers of his time.

During the New Year’s celebration, many Americans will turn to their television to watch the ball drop in Times Square New York. This tradition started in 1907, but many ask why a giant ball is being lowered. This goes back to steel balls being dropped daily at 1 P.M. in Greenwich in order to tell ships what time it was. When they first dropped the ball in New York, it was simply a 700 pound steel and wood ball, but over time it has evolved into a 12 foot glowing sphere with a new pattern each year.

New Year’s has also become a day to instill new principles and set new standards and goals for the upcoming year. This tradition started around 4000 years ago with the ancient Babylonians. They would make promises to their gods to repay their debts and return anything they borrowed.