When Was the New Year Celebrated in Ancient Rome?
The concept of celebrating a New Year is thousands of years old, and it did not always have the same date. The celebrations in the New Year in ancient Rome were developed together with political reforms, religion, and calendar. Early Romans celebrated the New Year on various days unlike modern celebrations on January 1, which were related to agricultural seasons and state interests. Through reforms to the Roman calendar, the Romans changed the way they counted time and venerated their gods in a span of centuries. The answer to the question of why and when the New Year was observed in ancient Rome provides an interesting insight into the manner in which calendars determined social and political structure and norms in one of the most powerful civilizations in history.
Early Roman Traditions and the March New Year
During the first period of Roman history, the New Year did not start in January. Rather, it began in March, when Mars, the god of war, was celebrated. This time structure was logical to an agrarian and militaristic society because spring was the beginning of agriculture and war. The idea of a renewal, growth and preparation was taken into account on March 1 during the New Year in ancient Rome.
The Roman calendar was based on only ten months with March being the first and December being the last. January and February were late comers and were originally of minor importance. Political transitions, religious rites and ceremonies tended to coincide with the March New Year thus strengthening its significance in the life of the Romans.
Calendar Reforms and the Shift to January
The biggest was a shift to January 1 which happened in 153 BCE after Roman authorities chose to reassign the onset of the civil year. This reformation was also associated with the efficiency of the administration whereby newly elected consuls had to take office earlier to handle military and political issues. Since then onwards, the New Year in ancient Rome became more associated with January 1.
Janus, the god of beginnings, endings and transitions who had two faces, gave January its name. January was a good beginning of the year as his symbolism was a look into the past and into the future. A more state-oriented and well-organized system of timekeeping was now represented by the Roman calendar, and it was a mixture of religion and government.
Julius Caesar and the Julian Calendar
The greatest of these reformations was in 46 BCE by Julius Caesar who revised the Julian calendar. This system fixed the count of years and made January 1 an official New Year. During the New Year in ancient Rome, people celebrated by feasting, giving gifts to each other and praying to Janus to bring prosperity and peace.
The Julian reform minimized the amount of confusion due to the uneven length of months and politicking of dates. The Roman calendar was also enhanced, which stabilized Roman society, but affected the modern calendars that are used today.
Legacy of the Roman New Year
The Roman tradition to mark the New Year on January 1 has survived more than 2000 years. The traditions of the New Year of contemporary times, including resolutions and symbolic new beginnings, have their roots in the Roman traditions of the deity Janus. The history of the Roman calendar underscores the attachment of time keeping and culture, power and belief systems.
