What Most People Don’t Know About January 1st

Do you know why January 1st is New Years Day? Have you ever found it odd that we celebrate the start of a new year in the dead of winter?

New Years has a long and nonlinear history. To summarize, the New Year was originally celebrated over 4,000 years ago by ancient Babylon on the first new moon following the vernal equinox - which is a day in late March that has equal parts sunlight and darkness. This day represents the start of Spring, the time when all of nature begins to remerge and come to life.

Later, the early Roman calendar also began each new year at the vernal equinox, however, its’ calendar consisted of 10 months and 304 days. Eventually this calendar fell out of sync with the sun and 2 more months were added, January and February. Years later Caesar instituted January 1 as the first day of the year, partly to honor the month’s namesake: Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, whose two faces allowed him to look back into the past and forward into the future. However, the new year was still celebrated on various days until Pope Gregory XIII reestablished January 1 as New Year’s Day in 1582.

All that to say, our bodies may not jive with January 1st being an ideal time for massive change and new beginnings. Instinctively, winter is a time for turning inward, slowing down and recuperating. Just like bears hibernate through the winter, it is normal for humans to want to rest more during this time. This year March 20th is the vernal equinox, Mather Nature’s New Year.

It is unnatural for January 1st to be the start of the new year, but since that is how we celebrate in today’s age here is what you can do to make the most of it. Use it as a time to reflect, plan & prioritize. For some helpful questions for this check out my last blog post! Also, be easy on yourself if you are bot feeling particularly motivated to take action right now. That may actually mean that you are in sync with the Earth and your body’s natural rhythm.

I love setting goals and intentions at the start of each month to help break down my big goals into smaller pieces and to keep me motivated and on track. Every month, week, day and minute is an opportunity to start anew! Listen to your body and follow your own timing.