For centuries January wasn’t the start date of choice. (And in some far-flung outreaches it still isn’t. Consider Japan, China and Judaism. (See last year’s New Year’s page.) At different times it's been December 25, and also March 25. Ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians and Persians began their new year with the fall equinox, and the Greeks celebrated on the winter solstice.

Numa Pompilius, relief on the east facade of the Lemercier wing, Louvre, Paris.
Jean Guillaume Moitte, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

So how did January 1 become New Year’s Day? Reportedly, during the reign of Numa Pompilius, second king of Rome (c. 715–673 BCE), the Roman calendar was rejiggered so that January replaced March as the first month of the year.

Why? Because January was named after Janus, the Roman god of all beginnings and March was named for Mars, the Roman god of war. Obviously, Numa Pompilius enjoyed the counsel of a large coterie of very serious public relations advisors.

Lots of things are monitored on a calendar basis, so it stands to reason the starting place for an awful lot of things that matter an awful lot is going to be January 1. Or does it?

GDP, for instance, or your personal income taxes, or medical insurance reporting and annual deductibles and such are tracked on a calendar year. And just about all private investment management, understandable since it’s tied directly to tax reporting.

But homeowners insurance is not; neither is auto insurance. The Congressional Budget Office reports the federal Budget on a fiscal-year basis, starting on October 1 and ending Sepember 30. National debt reporting follows the same pattern. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports employment and unemployment statistics monthly on a calendar-year basis, but all over the country, schools don't run that way.

Such exceptions prove it doesn’t really have to be done January to December. Actually, there's the real meaning lost inside the phrase “the exception proves the rule"; the true meaning of “prove” should be read as “test.” As in “test the theorm.” It’s not really supposed to mean, “Failure proves success.” (Next time we’ll consider what can bunny rabbits possibly have to do with Easter?)

The executive and legislative branches of the U.S. Government tie themselves pretty closely to the yearly calendar (unlike the Supreme Court, whose sessions run from the first Monday in October until June or July.) So lots of government activity will perforce take place around New Year's Day if not on the actual date itself. It is, after all, a holiday.

The start of new House and Senate sessions and the swearing in of newly elected members, for instance. In another sort of way, but related, would be the events of January 6, 2021. But even things that have no ties to the actual start of anything are often linked to the start of the new year.

On January 1, 1776, during the American Revolution, George Washington unveiled the Grand Union Flag, the first national flag in America. The Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in the states rebelling against the Union on January 1, 1863. Those events had no natural tie to January 1; those guys just thought it would be a good way to start off the year. Dictator Fulgencio Batista chose New Year's Day to flee Cuba after his regime was toppled by rebel forces led by Fidel Castro. At 3:00 am. In a hurry. Well, okay, maybe he really had no choice on that one.

Over in the private sector, January 1 is National Bloody Mary Day. But you can maybe guess why that might be. J.D. Salinger was born on January 1. So was J. Edgar Hoover. What's up with that?

Then there is the whole fresh start thing. The poets talk about it: New Year's resolutions. "I'll try to be a better man." "I'll give up chocolate" (actually a better food for you than you might think). Try clicking the "Christmas Yet to Come" link, top-right on this page, for a whole range of noble and ignoble takes on the subject. For instance, in 1942 T.S. Eliot wrote,
For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.

B. Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas said in 1927,
Honey, just allow me one more chance ....

Pretty much the same thing. We want to be better people—or at least we want to want to be— we just need a place to start. But, really, you could do that anytime.

Anyhow, Happy New Year. Hope you treat it right.

2021 Index:
Dec. 10 - 3.18   Dec. 15 - 3.63   Dec. 20 - 3.64   Dec. 25 - 3.76

2022 Index:
Dec. 16 - 3.18 Dec. 25 - 3.76   yr. end: 3.91

Season Stats to Date ...

Current Christmas Spirit breakdown:

34%

12%

14%

12%

16%

3%

7%

12/17/22:

A late start this year, regrettably. Technical issues setting up a new website host. This is going to be a little like getting to a holiday party when everybody's already half drunk. Will try to catch up. ("One more drink, you're sailing away..." Night Owl - Gerry Rafferty)

12/25/22:

This year's Christmas Spirit Index appears to be topping out around 3.73. Reporting took a fairly truncated form this year due to challenges encountered moving the website to a new hosting service, and resorting to using a private email service that does not seem to be doing a good job sending out updates. Votes as a result this year were much lighter than usual. We'll do better next year.