Why do we celebrate New Year on January 1? A lookback at its fascinating hory | Trending

As the world welcomes another new year, here is a look back at its fascinating hory. The tradition of marking this occasion has a long and diverse hory, with roots in ancient civilisations and evolving calendars. However, most of the world today celebrates the new year on January 1. So how did this date become the official New Year across the world? Read on to find out. Various cultures have tied their new year celebrations to significant events—religious, astronomical, or agricultural.(Pexel) The earliest recorded New Year festivities date back to 2000 B.C. in ancient Mesopotamia, located in what is now Iraq. The festival, known as Akitu, commenced on the first new moon after the spring equinox, typically around March. This 12-day event marked the crowning of a new king or reaffirming loyalty to the current ruler. Additionally, Akitu coincided with the barley harvest, integrating agricultural significance into the celebration. Throughout hory, various cultures have tied their new year celebrations to significant events—religious, astronomical, or agricultural. In ancient Egypt, the new year began with the heliacal rising of Sirius, the brightest star, which occurred around mid-July. This event coincided with the Nile’s annual flooding, a vital agricultural phenomenon. The Egyptians celebrated the new year for five days before starting the first month of their 12-month calendar, each lasting 30 days. In China, new year festivities, with a hory spanning 3,500 years, begin on the second new moon after the winter solstice. This date, usually in late January or February, marks the start of spring. Pre-Islamic Arabia lacked a standardised calendar. However, in 638 A.D., the second Islamic caliph, Umar I, established the lunar Islamic calendar. The new year begins on 1 Muharram, marking the appearance of the first crescent moon. The Islamic calendar, also known as the Hijri calendar, is 354 or 355 days long. Year 1446 in the Islamic calendar will commence on July 7 or 8, 2024, depending on the region. Also read: What Indians ordered on New Year’s Eve – aloo bhujia, condoms, soft drinks and… Rome’s earliest calendars began in March and spanned 10 months, with an unassigned winter period. In the 7th century B.C., King Numa Pompilius added two months—Ianuarius and Februarius—and established a 12-month calendar. 153 B.C., the inauguration of consuls shifted to January, although inconsencies remained. From Julian to Gregorian: The evolution of the modern calendarJulius Caesar, advised astronomers and mathematician Sosigenes, reformed the Roman calendar in 46 B.C., introducing the Julian calendar. This solar-based system officially started the civil year on January 1 and introduced leap years. However, its calculation of the solar year exceeded the true length 11 minutes, leading to gradual calendar drift. the mid-15th century, the Julian calendar had diverged from the solar cycle 10 days. To correct this, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar in the 1570s, refining leap year rules and formalising January 1 as the new year. While much of Europe adopted the Gregorian calendar promptly, Great Britain and its colonies resed until 1752, when Parliament aligned with the revised system. Even in regions where Islamic or lunar calendars dominate culturally, the Gregorian calendar serves as the global civil standard, uniting governments and businesses worldwide. Also read: Abu Dhabi welcomes 2025 with fireworks and drone show, setting Guinness world records