The Origin of the New Year’s Resolution

Posted by Daily Post from Bluxome Street on December 31, 2012 in Life | 2 Comments

The New Year celebration was first observed in Babylon in 2000 B.C. People marked the commencement of the year by paying off debts and returning borrowed goods. The practice carried over into Rome with worshipers offering resolutions to Janus, the god of beginnings and endings. When the Roman calendar was reformed, the first month of the year was renamed January in honor of Janus, establishing January 1 as the day of new beginnings.

The origin of the New Year’s Resolution dates back to 153 B.C. Janus, the mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar. With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year.

I have continued both traditions – the celebration of a new year and the establishment of resolutions – and find New Year’s to be my favorite holiday. It is everyone’s birthday, a time to start over, drink, and cause chaos. There is the opportunity to establish a new slate, make amends, and set off in a new direction.

I am spending January 1, 2013 on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore. I hope wherever you are spending New Years, it is equally as beautiful and exactly what you want.

To close this post I am going to include two things. Below are my 2013 New Year’s Resolutions in no particular order. Also, I am including a photo of Clark Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooper, and Jimmy Stewart celebrating at Romanoff’s on New Years Eve, 1957. (Courtesy of LIFE Magazine.)

2013 New Year’s Resolutions

1) Do 25 pushups and 100 crunches every morning

2) Join a sports recreation league

3) Learn to cook 5 good meals

4) Try something I never learned as a child

5) Make a new friend a month

6) Research and learn 10 DIY projects

7) Get my photo taken in 5 unusual places

8) Remember every single person’s name I meet this year

9) Watch 100 great films and read 100 great books

10) Turn off the television for a month