The moment of the turn of the year is celebrated by people all over the world. But not many know the history and interesting facts about the New Year.
According to the Gregorian calendar, New Year falls on January 1. Here are some interesting New Year scientific facts that you should know, summarized from various sources.
8 Unique New Year Facts You May Not Know
1. It has been around for 4,000 years
The oldest recorded New Year's celebration in history was the New Year's celebration in Babylon 4,000 years ago.
2. The beginning of the celebration is not January 1st
Initially, New Year's celebrations were actually held at the end of March as well as to celebrate a large-scale religious festival called Akitu. This celebration was carried out by the people of Babylon for 11 full days.
3. The first Roman Emperor made January 1 a holiday
Julius Caesar, Emperor of Rome established January 1 as the first day of the new year. He was also the first to declare January 1st a holiday. January is taken from Janus, the name of the Roman god of doors and gates. Janus had two faces, one looking forward and one looking back. Julius Caesar felt that January was appropriate for this god's name.
4. There is a tradition of eating vegetables in the New Year
This tradition says, the more green leafy vegetables a person eats, the more prosperity he will experience, as a result the person will be healthier. Nuts are thought to bring prosperity and look like coins.
5. The habit of drinking champagne
In western countries, many people celebrate New Year by opening a bottle of champagne. Americans, for example, drink nearly 360 million glasses of wine during New Year's celebrations.
6. Julius Caesar's calendar does not apply
Julius Caesar's calendar finally expired and the new timekeeping was based on the Gregorian calendar initiated by Dr. Aloysius Lilius with the official approval of Pope Gregory XIII. This calendar is used by the world to this day.
The benchmark and naming of time in the Gregorian calendar is based on the birth of Jesus Christ. The naming is: AD (AD/Anno Domini) and BC (BC/Before Christ).
7. A more neutral naming
In a more modern era, European Protestant Scholars proposed a new, more neutral naming, namely CE (Common Era/AD) and B.C.E (Before Common Era/Before Christ).
8. Another New Year
In addition to the Gregorian New Year, in this world there are many New Year celebrations and calendars that are also used officially by some groups. In fact, everything has its own timing. For example, we also know the Hijri New Year which is celebrated by Muslims, Imlek which is celebrated by Chinese descendants, the Saka New Year by Hindus, and many more.