Why Is January 1st The “New Year”?

Most of the world celebrates New Year's Day on January 1st, but this wasn't always the case. Ancient cultures like the Mesopotamians celebrated the New Year with the first new moon after the vernal equinox in March, Greeks around the winter solstice in December, and Egyptians in July.

The reason for January 1st as New Year's Day can be traced back to the ancient Roman Empire. King Numa Pompilius, between 715 and 673 BCE, added the months of Januarius and Februarius to the existing 10-month Roman calendar, creating a 12-month system to cover the 12 cycles of the moon.

In 45 BC, Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar, which established a 365-day year with a leap year every four years. He then designated January 1st as the official start of the year, honoring Janus, the Roman God of beginnings, and the day diplomats took office.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII reformed the Julian calendar to create the Gregorian calendar. This new calendar more accurately reflected the Earth's orbit around the sun and solidified January 1st as the start of the New Year. Interestingly, the Earth is closest to the sun in early January, a point known as perihelion.

While most nations now recognize January 1st as the New Year, some, like Ethiopia, never adopted the Gregorian calendar and celebrate their New Year, called Enkutatash, in September.