The 4,000-year-old history of New Year’s Resolutions
You may have ancient Babylonians to thank for why you pledge to improve yourself every January 1. It’s that time again. People turning over a new leaf and pledging to be fitter, more productive, and overall better versions of themselves are gunning their mental engines for the start of 2019. This despite the fact that more than a quarter (27%) have left off trying by the first week of the new year and only a little over half make it through January, according to data from Statistic Brain.
Why do we even bother? Turns out, it’s a time-honored tradition that started about 4,000 years ago with the ancient Babylonians. Beginning with a 12-day religious festival (are we seeing a modern equivalent here?) called Akitu, the Babylonians crowned a new king or re-upped their devotion to the sitting ruler. At this time they also pledged to pay debts and return borrowed goods to keep in good standing with their gods.
WHY JANUARY?
All this would happen in spring, around March of our current calendar. The January remake comes courtesy of the Romans, who initially did celebrate during the same time. Some historians believe that the date was moved to January in 300 B.C. because the Roman emperor was sworn in during that time and because fair weather marked battle season, the generals couldn’t make it.
