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The first New Year's resolutions may date back 4,000 years. |
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| Held in March to mark the start of the planting season, the 12-day Babylonian festival of Akitu —which began on the first new moon of spring — was a time to honor the supreme god Marduk, his son Nabu, and the other deities who watched over the people. For the king, this included a humbling ceremony in which he was stripped of his regalia, struck across the face, and dragged by the ears by the high priest to atone for any sins committed. It's believed the rest of the common folk, spared of such physical punishment, instead engaged in prayer, promising that they would repay their debts and otherwise conduct themselves in sterling fashion to please the gods. | |
| While the Babylonians may have been the first to introduce these promises to a celebration marking the start of the year, the Romans were the first to deliver theirs in January. For that we can thank the wide-reaching Roman calendar, which moved the first month of the year from March to January. Named for the two-faced god Janus, who both looked back at the past and faced the unknown future, the first month became a time for officials to pledge their vows of loyalty to Rome — a custom that continues in the less urgent but no less earnest tradition of the countless people who pledge to get off the couch and hit the gym in the new year. | |
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"Auld Lang Syne" is one of the most frequently sung songs in English. | |||||||||
| Well before anyone attempts to enact their ambitious resolutions, they often ring in the new year by singing — or at least humming along to — the cryptic but irresistibly catchy Scottish folk song "Auld Lang Syne." Based on works that date back to at least the 16th century, the "Auld Lang Syne" we know today is the result of Scottish poet Robert Burns capturing and rewriting lyrics he overheard from a man singing in the late 18th century. Set to its now-distinct melody by music publisher George Thomson, the song became a New Year's standard thanks to a 1929 radio performance by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians. But the nostalgic tune has long since found its way into other occasions, including British political ceremonies, international Scout Movement events, and graduations in the U.S. and Asia. Its popularity boosted by appearances in such famous films as It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and When Harry Met Sally… (1989), "Auld Lang Syne" has earned a spot in Guinness World Records as one of the three most frequently sung songs in English, along with "Happy Birthday to You" and "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow." | |||||||||
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