By Paul Waldmiller
Did you know that the idea of a New Year’s Day resolution originally was founded by the ancient Babylonians? Some four-thousand years ago, the Babylonians began their new calendar year during the time of when we have our month of March. They used a new year’s observation to celebrate a traditional time of a newly appointed king, return items that they had borrowed from others throughout that previous year, and also pay off their debts that they still owed unto others.
Throughout the centuries new year’s celebrations and traditions have changed. At the time of the Roman Empire, Julius Cesar in 46 BC changed the calendar and reflects much closer to the colander that we use today. At the time of the Roman celebration of New Year’s Day, they celebrated their god, “Janus”, where Julius Cesar commanded that sacrifices to be made every January 1st to janus and also every Roman Citizen to make promises of “good conduct” during the up-coming and new year.
Bringing the history of New Year’s celebration and specifically New Year’s resolutions, it was John Wesely, the Christian theologian who in 1740 began his first “Covenant Renewal Service” where Christians who followed Wesley’s brand of Christianity called “methodism”, celebrated New year’s evening with singing of Christian hymns, praise songs to God, and reading of Bible Scriptures, all in effort to show a renewed effort of serving God and fellow Christians.
Today, throughout Florida and most of the United States, new year’s evening and day are secular celebrations. Often times, New year’s evening is filled with fireworks, parties, consumption of alcoholic drinks, and or going out to restaurants or bars. There are some throughout America who will make a New Year’s “resolution”, with a half-hearted attempt to do something to improve their personal lives during the upcoming year. Often, we see Americans quickly give up on the New Year’s resolution to improve their lives as they had originally resolved to do.
Perhaps 2020 will be different for most? One resolving to become a better person always finds fruit when there is follow-through. Happy New Year!
I don’t know what is going on at the Lehigh Gazette but it seems MUCH improved, Keep up the good work!