It is said that the ancient Babylonians were the first to make New Year’s resolutions, about 4,000 years ago. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year, although for them the year did not begin in January, but in mid-March, when the crops were planted. During a massive 12-day religious festival known as Akitu, the Babylonians crowned a new king or reaffirmed their loyalty to the reigning king. They also made promises to the gods to pay off their debts and return the objects they had borrowed. These promises could be considered the forerunners of our New Year’s resolutions. If the Babylonians kept their word, their gods (pagans) would grant them the favor of next year. Otherwise, they would fall out of favor with the gods: a place no one wanted to be.
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A similar practice occurred in ancient Rome, after the Reformed emperor Julius Caesar adjusted to the calendar and set January 1 as the beginning of the new year around 46 BC. January was of special importance to the Romans. Believing that Janus symbolically looked back to the previous year and to the future, the Romans offered sacrifices to the deity and made promises of good conduct for the following year.
For early Christians, the first day of the new year became the traditional occasion to think about past mistakes and decide to make and be better in the future. In 1740, the English clergyman John Wesley, founder of Methodism, created the Covenant Renewal Service, which is most commonly celebrated on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Also known as nocturnal surveillance services, they included scripture readings and hymn singing and served as a spiritual alternative to the fleshless feasts that were usually held to celebrate the arrival of the new year. Now popular in evangelical Protestant churches, especially in African American denominations and congregations, the evening services held on New Year’s Eve are often spent praying and making resolutions for the coming year.
Despite the religious roots of the tradition, current New Year’s resolutions are a mostly secular practice. Instead of making promises to the gods, most people make resolutions only to themselves and focus exclusively on personal improvement (which may explain why they seem so difficult to follow these resolutions). According to recent research, while up to 45% of Americans say they typically adopt New Year’s resolutions, only 8% achieve their goals. But probably this unfortunate record will not prevent people from making resolutions soon; after all, we’ve had about 4,000 years of practice.
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