Happy New Year from all of us at Nanda Home!

With the New Year being the closest we have to a global holiday, we thought it would be fitting (pun intended) to look at the history of New Years Resolutions. Perfect for the New Year and the Trivia Pursuit fan!

1. When did resolutions start? The idea of New Years resolutions dates back to 153 BC when Janus, a mythical Roman king was placed at the head of the calendar. Since Janus had two faces, he could look back on the past and forward towards the future.   Random fact: The month of January did not exist until around 700 BC, when Numa Pontilius added the months of January and February to the Roman calendar.
2. Not Everyone Celebrates the same? That’s right. The New Year doesn’t begin on January 1st around the world. It’s only symbolic for cultures that use the 365 day solar calendar also known as the Gregorian calendar.
3. First New Years Celebration – Celebrating the New Year is one of the oldest holidays.  It is believed to have been first observed in ancient Babylon around 4000 years ago in the years around 2000 BC.  The celebration revolved around the vernal equinox in mid-March.
4. New Year is abolished – During medieval times in Europe around 567, The Council of Tours abolished January 1 as the beginning of the year.  They considered the celebrations as pagan and unchristian like. The new year was celebrated on Dec 25, March 1, and March 25.
5. New Year restored – The celebration of New Year on January 1 was in 1582, when the Gregorian calendar was restored as the calendar of choice.  While Catholic countries adopted it immediately, the British and American Colonies continued to celebrate the New Year in March until 1752.

More Random Facts

• 45% of American adults make one or more resolutions each year
• 75% make it past the first week
• 71% make it past 2 weeks
• 64% make it past one month
• 46% make it past 6 months

Studies show that even though resolutions are broken, the act of setting goals is useful.

Not a surprise, the top resolutions are weight loss and exercise, which we know means some early mornings (hint hint)…

It’s amazing how fast 2011 went by!  Thank you for your continued support and best wishes to you for a wonderful 2012!

What are some of your New Year Resolutions?

Sources:

Tags: New Year Resolutions 2012

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