The Origins of New Year’s Celebrations (Part 1)

Long before fireworks lit the sky or glasses clinked at midnight, people marked the passage of time in ways that were deeply connected to the natural world. Over 4,000 years ago, in the lands of Mesopotamia, what today we know as Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey, civilizations flourished between the rivers, tending to crops, watching the seasons, and reading the cycles of the stars.

For these early people, life depended on the rhythm of nature. Winter’s harsh grip meant scarcity; spring’s arrival promised renewal and abundance. And so, when the first shoots of a new season appeared, they celebrated; a festival not of a date on a calendar, but of life itself. It was a festival of transition, of hope, of welcoming the unknown with reverence and gratitude.

On the evening of 22 or 23 March, as winter loosened its hold, Mesopotamians would gather. There were no clocks ticking toward midnight, no champagne glasses raised in countdown. Instead, they offered prayers for abundance, shared the first foods of the season, and danced to the rhythms of drums and lyres. Each gesture carried intention: a wish for food, for health, for survival, and for prosperity in the months ahead. In these moments, celebration was inseparable from life itself.

Centuries later, calendars evolved. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar, replacing the Julian system. With it, 1 January became the symbolic start of the year in the West; a date that would come to carry traditions of reflection, hope, and renewal that persist today. Yet the essence of those earliest celebrations remains: the desire to honor what has passed, embrace the present, and step confidently into the unknown.

From the first shoots of spring in Mesopotamia to the modern rituals of New Year’s Eve, the human desire to mark transitions, seek abundance, and renew our intentions has endured. Across time and continents, one thing remains constant: the turning of the year is more than a date, it is a moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate the possibility of new beginnings.