Edhat Staff
It’s 2018! Oh sorry, was that too loud? It’s 2018 (for those who might have imbibed a bit too much last night). The traditions continue with New Years Eve celebrations, whether downtown or at home. Parties, food, countdowns, kisses, beverages, there’s a way we all like to celebrate, and it turns out people around the world have been celebrating for at least four millennia.
The earliest recorded festivities date back some 4,000 years to ancient Babylon, then the Romans until 46 B.C. where emperor Julius Caesar helped create the Julian calendar which closely resembles the more modern Gregorian calendar of today.
“Caesar instituted January 1 as the first day of the year, partly to honor the month’s namesake: Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, whose two faces allowed him to look back into the past and forward into the future. Romans celebrated by offering sacrifices to Janus, exchanging gifts with one another, decorating their homes with laurel branches and attending raucous parties. In medieval Europe, Christian leaders temporarily replaced January 1 as the first of the year with days carrying more religious significance, such as December 25 (the anniversary of Jesus’ birth) and March 25 (the Feast of the Annunciation); Pope Gregory XIII re-established January 1 as New Year’s Day in 1582,” according to history.com.
But what about the statistics? Check them out below:
