Since it is the start of a brand new year, I thought I would do a reflection post of why people make New Year’s Resolutions and the History behind them.
So grab your favorite blanket, get a warm cup of tea, get cozy, and lets begin.
4, 000 years ago,the Babylonians rang in the new year with a 11 day festival held in March, which had them make resolutions to the gods to repay debts and return anything that was borrowed for a favorable year. The ancient Egyptians celebrated the event of the new calendar with the annual flooding by the Nile river, with celebrations and resolutions to the gods.
However, the true new years resolutions as we know it is traced back to the Roman era, when people made resolutions to the Roman god Janus, for which the month of January is named. The Romans would make sacrifices to the god Janus and also resolutions for good conduct for the new year.
Similarly, for early Christians the first day of the New year was a time for reflection about one’s past mistakes and resolving to better oneself for the future year. This is what inspired English clergyman John Wesley, founder of Methodism, to create the Covenant Renewal Service, which are most commonly held on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. These services, also known as night services, included readings from scripture and hymn singing, and considered a spiritual alternative to the raucous celebrations normally held to celebrate the coming of the new year.
In modern times, New Year’s resolutions have become more about self-improvement, instead of religious affirmations. Many people make resolutions to be a better person, having better accomplishments, be a better friend, be better at work, etc. However, many of these resolutions fail because of the inability for many people to really keep track and make timely goals. Yet, despite this record, this won’t make many people any less likely to make resolutions this year, after all we have been making resolutions every year for nearly 40 centuries.
I hope you enjoyed this post, and make New Year’s resolutions that well make you have a great year!
Alyssa
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