01 January

New Year's Day Traditions

 

Rest and Recovery

New Year's Day is normally a day spent recovering from New Year's Eve celebrations, which last until the early hours of the morning. 

Food for Luck

Families and friends may have meals together. Certain foods are eaten for good luck: pork, as pigs are said to represent plenty and moving forward; black eyed-peas, included in dishes such as Hoppin' John, a southern dish because the roundness of the peas stands for a complete year and money; cabbage, which also means prosperity. 

In ancient Rome, on New Year's Day, according to McClintock and Strong's Cyclopedia, people “gave themselves up to riotous excess and various kinds of heathen superstition.”

Resolutions

A very popular custom is to make resolutions - promises to improve oneself during the new year. 

Common resolutions are losing weight, giving up smoking or other bad habits, and doing more exercise. However, most people fail to follow through within the first few days of the year. 

Around 4,000 years ago, the Babylonians, at the beginning of each year, would crown a new king or pledge their loyalty to the reigning king. They also made promises to the gods to do such things as pay off their debts and return borrowed items. If they kept their vows, the gods would bless them. They would gain their disfavor if they broke them.

The Romans also made similar promises to their god, Janus - the god of gateways and beginnings. Janus was two-headed, one facing backward, into the past, and the other facing forward, into the future. Julius Caesar's calendar established January 1 as the new year in 46 BCE.

Also:

World Peace Day

Bloody Mary Day 

Hangover Day

Polar Plunge Day