Music legend and global treasure Dolly Parton was born on Jan. 19, 1946. It was a historical reset. Around the world, all agree their lives would have been miserable if Dolly Parton had not been born on that Jan. 19 — then why is Jan. 1, of all days, the first day of a new year?
People have asked that question since never — it’s literally the first day of the calendar; it’s not that complicated. Right? But you see, if the new year starts at the beginning of the calendar, who decides when the calendar starts? Someone woke up one morning and said: “today’s January 1.” The Chinese, for example, have a traditional calendar system that does not start the year on Jan. 1.
So what happened that day? What could be more important than the birth of singer-songwriter icon Dolly Parton?
For the ancient Babylonians, for example, the new year started in late March, at the beginning of spring. Considering these ancient civilizations were mostly agrarian, it makes sense they would celebrate the beginning of a good harvest cycle and, well… not starving to death.
But it was Julius Caesar who came up with Jan. 1 as the first day of a new year. Not satisfied, he also added a month named after himself: July. Why? Because he was Julius Caesar, and he could do whatever he wanted. Augustus tried the same thing — though if we’re being honest, August doesn’t hit half as hard as July.
The name January comes from the Roman god Janus, the embodiment of beginnings and decisions, a dual-headed creature who could look back to the past and forward to the future — very poetic, though I highly doubt mister Janus could reinvent country music while rocking a platinum blonde mane hairdo.
Aside from a few corrections to match the orbit of the sun in the following centuries, including the establishment of the Gregorian calendar, the first day of the year remained mostly the same over the last thousand years, and New Year’s Eve became the main celebration for the beginning of a new cycle, though everybody has their own way to do it.
All cultures across the world have the same wish on Dec. 31: a better new year than the previous one. Still, different cultures have found different ways of celebrating and wishing for a prosperous year, whether that’s certain food, rites, or vigorous lip-locking at midnight.
Our American neighbors, for example, traditionally watch a 12-thousand-pound iron ball drop at Times Square. The point? Who cares: it’s all sparkly and pretty. Plus, bouncy balls are awesome, and they’ve been awesome since the toddling days.
Countries like Portugal and Cuba, on the other hand, enjoy a big feast. Amongst other things, it includes pork, which is meant to represent and attract prosperity for everybody in the coming year — everybody except for pigs, I guess.
In Brazil, wearing a white outfit is a must, for it attracts peace and prosperity for the new year. A more interesting Brazilian custom is the underwear you choose: each color will attract a different thing for your new year. Red? Love. Yellow? Money. And dirty panties will get you some bad luck, so you better do your laundry, kids.
Whether you celebrate the beginning of the year on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, or on Dolly Day, it’s a special night to get together with friends and family and share your expectations for the start of a new cycle. It’s the perfect time to appreciate the year that has passed, to make exciting plans that you are certain to drop before February, and to drink cheap wine with your head hanging off your couch. Either way, 2023 is here, full of new possibilities for great memories, dreadful tragedies, and funny new memes. 2022 has been said and done, but 2023 is a blank canvas — and that makes it a much better year already.
