Ringing In New Year Is Old Tradition — Year Used To Consist Of 10 Months

CRAWFORD While the notion of ringing in the new year has been around for quite some time, celebrating on the first of January is not nearly as old a tradition. In fact, March 1st was designated the beginning of the new year according to the early Roman calendar.

In those days, the year consisted of just 10 months, a fact that is still evident today in the names of certain months.

For example, the months of September through December, currently the ninth through twelfth months of the year, were originally positioned as the seventh through tenth months of the year.

The name September is derived from the word “septem,” the Latin word for “seven.” The ensuing months of October (derived from “octo” for “eight”), November (“novem” for “nine”) and December (“decem” for “ten”) all trace their origins back to the early Roman calendar.

Nowadays, of course, the new year is celebrated on the first of January, a month that did not even exist until 700 B.C., when the second king of Rome added the months of January and February to the calender.

It wasn’t until 46 B.C. that January 1st was officially decreed the new year by Julius Caesar. That tradition would last more than half a millenium until 567, the period known as the Middle Ages. Deeming the new year celebrations pagan un-Christian, the Council of Tours abolished January 1st as the official start to the new year. Through Europe, the new year was then celebrated at various times, including December 25th, March 1st, and March 25th.

In 1582, the Georgian calendar restored January 1st as the start of the new year. However, the British Empire and its American colonies did not adopt that calendar for another 170 years, and the British and their American colonists continued to celebrate the new year on March 1st until they officially adopted the Georgian calendar in 1752.