Countdown to New Year's Day

New Year's Day

New Year's Day is the first day of the year on the Gregorian calendar, which is the most widely used calendar in the world. It is celebrated on January 1st of every year.

New Year's Day, a globally significant event, is observed with a multitude of traditions in many nations, including fireworks, parties, and other festivities. It serves as a unifying time for people to come together with family and friends, reflect on the past year, and look forward to the future. In the United States is an federal holiday also.

What day is New Year?

Here are the dates and days for New Year's Day for the next few years:

• 2025: Wednesday, January 1st
• 2026: Thursday, January 1st
• 2027: Friday, January 1st
• 2028: Saturday, January 1st
• 2029: Monday, January 1st
• 2030: Tuesday, January 1st

1st of January

The 1st of January is New Year's Day, which marks the beginning of a new year on the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar in the world. It is a public holiday in many countries, often celebrated with fireworks, parties, and other festivities to usher in the new year.

The celebration of the start of a new year on January 1 has its roots in ancient Roman and European traditions. The ancient Romans originally celebrated the start of their new year on March 1, which was also the beginning of the Roman calendar. However, in 153 BCE, the Roman Senate moved the start of the new year to January 1 to coincide with the investiture of new consuls - the highest-ranking officials in the Roman Republic.

The early Roman festival of Janus, celebrated on January 1, also significantly contributed to the development of New Year's Day. Janus was the Roman god of beginnings, endings, and time, and the festival was marked with sacrifices, feasting, and gift-giving.

As the Roman Empire expanded, the celebration of January 1 as the start of the new year spread throughout Europe. However, it wasn't until the 16th century that January 1 became widely accepted as the start of the new year in many European countries.

The name "January" comes from the Roman god Janus, who was mentioned earlier. Janus was a complex deity with two faces, one looking forward and one backward, symbolizing his role as the god of beginnings, endings, and time. The Romans named the first month of their calendar "Ianuarius" in his honor, which was later shortened to "January" in English.

In Latin, the language of the ancient Romans, "ianua" means "gate" or "door," which is also related to the name Janus. This refers to the idea that January is the "gate" or "door" to the new year, marking the beginning of a new cycle of time.

New Year's Day Across the World

It's worth noting that the celebration of New Year's Day is as diverse as the cultures and countries that observe it. For example,

• In China, the new year, known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is celebrated on the second new moon after the winter solstice, usually occurring in early February or late January. The celebration period is usually 15 days long, with the first day of the new year being the most important.
• In Iran, the new year is celebrated on the spring equinox, which typically falls on March 20 or 21.
• The Jewish New Year (based on a lunar calendar) is called Rosh Hashanah and usually takes place in September.
• The Jewish New Year, also known as Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: ראש השנה), typically falls in September or October on the Gregorian calendar. However, the exact date varies each year because the Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar based on the cycles of the moon and the sun.
• The Islamic New Year, also known as Hijri New Year (Arabic: رأس السنة الهجرية), typically falls in August or September on the Gregorian calendar. The exact date varies are based on the sighting of the thin crescent Moon and marks the beginning of the month of Muharram, which is the first month of the Islamic calendar.

Related: When is Christmas?

When is New Year's Eve?