New Year’s Celebration was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon (actually the first visible cresent) after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring).
The beginning of spring is a logical time to start a newyear. After all, it is the season of rebirth, of planting new crops, and ofblossoming. It is purely arbitrary. The Babylonian New Year celebration lastedfor
eleven days. Each day had its own particular grand mode of celebration.
The Romans continued to observe the New Year in late March. In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 B.C, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the New Year.
But tampering continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 B.C, established the Julian calendar. It again established Jan1 as the New Year. But in order to synchronies the calendar with sun, Caesar had to let the previous year drag on for 445 days!!!
Although in the first centuries of A.D the Romans continuedcelebrating the New Year, the early Catholic Church condemned festivities aspaganism. But as Christianity became more
widespread the early Church beganhaving its own religious observances concurrently with many of the pagancelebrations, and New Years' Day was no different. New Year's Day is stillobserved as the Feast of Christ's Circumcision by some denomination.
During the middle ages, the Church remained opposed tocelebrating New Year. January1 has been celebrated as a holiday by Westernnations for only about the past 400 years. Catholic countries adopted it soon. Germanyadopted it in 1700, Great Britainin 1752, and Swedenin 1753.
The Oriental countries through the influence of religiousgroups such as the Hindus, Taoists, Buddhists and Muslims, considered the newCalendar as the Christian Calendar, but also adopted it as their official one. Japanwelcomed it in 1873 and Chinain 1912.
The Eastern Orthodox adopted it even later, in 1924 and1927, Russiatook it twice - first in 1918 and after trying out its own calendars, again in 1924.