New Years is an important holiday around the world with a unique history and traditions.
This celebration and reflection of the past year dates all the way back to 2000 BCE., when the Babylonians held an eleven-day festival called Akitu.
Like many cultures at the time, the Babylonians took the opportunity to worship their gods and their king to bring luck into the upcoming year.
Although we know it to be January 1st, the new year used to be celebrated in March. A miscalculation of leap years led us to switch from the Julian calendar, made in 45 BCE., to the Gregorian calendar. Pope Gregory XIII proposed the change in 1582, but it wasn’t put in place until 1752.
Catholics, however, wanted to link the celebration to important religious dates such as Christmas, the day Jesus was born or Annunciation Day, the day the angel Gabriel visited Mary.
Some historians speculate that the holiday known as April Fools Day, comes from several people not being aware of the calendar change and still celebrating New Years in the spring.
Ancient traditions made New Years a time of worship and rituals, some of which are still practiced in modern day. Fireworks were believed to ward off the evil spirits and kissing once the clock strikes 12 was said to bring blessing into the year.
“My family does fun activities every hour leading up to midnight. The hour before we drink grape juice in wine glasses and cheers to the new year,” said Ava Crawford, a junior at Santa Fe.
Everyone has different traditions, however you chose to celebrate, the Santa Fe Howler wishes you a safe and happy New Years.
