The origins of New Year Resolutions

For millenia, people around the world have commemorated the arrival of a new calendar year by adhering to various traditions. Once such tradition is making resolutions for the year ahead. Resolutions are promises to oneself geared around personal fulfillment and betterment.

Resolutions are widely practiced, but some people may not understand the origins of New Year’s resolutions and why they have become the norm.

Some historians tie the practice of making resolutions to the ancient Babylonians. More than 4,000 years ago, the Babylonians celebrated the New Year in March rather than January. The spring harvest was in March, and a festival called Akitu, which lasted 12 days, was celebrated. An important part of the festival was the crowning of a new king. Special rituals also affirmed a connection to the gods. The Babylonians made promises to the gods, which included vows to return borrowed objects and pay outstanding debts.

Resolutions can also be traced to ancient Rome. The Romans were instrumental in creating a more formal calendar, and the start of the new year was moved from March to January (January and February were added to the Roman calendar under the rule of Numa Pompilius). Julius Caesar wanted to honor January’s namesake, Janus, the Roman god of beginnings. Janus’ two faces enabled him to look back into the past and forward into the future. Sacrifices to Janus were made, and worshipers exchanged gifts with one another. A custom of setting resolutions began during this period as well, with Romans promising to be good to one another.

Eventually, these resolutions were funneled into prayers and fasting when Christianity was adopted by the Roman Empire. Other religious parallels include the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which is a day of atonement and reflection as celebrants examine their wrongdoings and seek forgiveness and to behave better moving forward. Yom Kippur follows Rosh Hashanah, Judaism’s own new year.

Resolutions also may be loosely tied to Medieval times. During this time, knights took a “peacock vow” at the end of the Christmas season. Each

year, these knights would reaffirm their commitment to chivalry.

Today New Year’s resolutions are largely a secular tradition, but they’re still connected to a desire to be a good person and put one’s best self forward.

Why make resolutions?

The dawn of a new year is a time when many people take inventory of the previous 12 months and begin thinking about ways they can improve their lives in the coming year. Such looking ahead can provide inspiration and motivation.

Resolving to make changes at the beginning of a new year is a tradition for many people. Even when people veer off course from their resolutions, many pick themselves up, dust themselves off and try again year after year.

The custom of making resolutions is celebrated in many areas of the world. But how did the custom begin?

History.com states that the origins of New Year’s resolutions can be traced to the ancient Babylonians, who purportedly made promises to the gods to earn good favor for the coming year. These resolutions were personal promises of growth and redemption and were made in conjunction with the start of a new year which, at the time, began in mid-March and not January.

Common resolutions revolved around getting out of debt or returning borrowed items. The Babylonians tried to fulfill these resolutions so that the pagan gods would bestow favor on them, including a rich harvest, for the coming year.

The Romans were the first to change the calendar to have the new year begin on January 1. January was named for the Roman god Janus, who had dual faces. Romans believed that Janus could not only look back into the previous year, but also look forward to the next one. So Romans made promises to Janus to do good deeds in the months to come and learn from past mistakes.

Early Christians also embraced resolutions as chances to repent and redeem themselves through positive actions. Although there are still some religious ties to resolutions, New Year’s resolutions are still largely practiced today. And unlike making promises to God or pagan gods, resolutions are now most often personal promises focusing on selfimprovement.

The largest percentage of resolutions made today, according to Statistics Brain, involve self-improvement or education-related goals.

Sharing one’s resolutions with a third party can help people stay motivated as they pursue their goals.

Resolutions have been made for thousands of years, and millions of people still make them today.