Got an idea for a holiday? Send it to us

Submit Now

1K Shares
1K Shares
WedJan 1

New Year's Day – January 1, 2025

January 1 is New Year’s Day — a time of optimism, planning, and resoluteness. There’s a feeling that maybe this year we’ll make the changes we’ve been meaning to: more rest, better eating habits, more exercise, or a new job. New Year’s Day is about taking a moment to get ready for everything that is about to unfold. Happy New Year!

History of New Year's Day

In the United States and many other countries around the world, January 1, the first day of the Gregorian calendar, ushers in a new year replete with New Year’s resolutions and promises to do better than in the year before. The day begins with hangover concoctions for some and, for others, prayers of gratitude for surviving to see a new year filled with promise. But how did this holiday begin? It’s a very old story.

Most civilizations aligned their calendars with the moon. The ancient Mesopotamians and Babylonians observed the new year over 4,000 years ago. For them, a new year followed the phases of the moon and the vernal equinox — when sunlight and darkness were equally balanced.  

The Babylonians ritualized the vernal equinox with Akitu, a religious observance spanning 11 days. The Egyptians marked the new year with the flooded waters of the Nile and the star, Sirius. To this very day, the Chinese New Year arrives with the second new moon after the winter solstice. 

The evolution from the lunar calendar to today’s Gregorian calendar commences with the early Roman calendar devised by Romulus, allegedly suckled by wolves who, along with his brother, Remus, founded Rome. The original Roman calendar was introduced in the 8th century at the start of the vernal equinox (when the light and the darkness are equal, remember?) with 10 months and 304 days. Another Roman king, Numa Pompilius added Januarius and Februarius. 

Most historians credit the Roman emperor Julius Caesar with developing the Julian calendar, designating January 1 as the start of a new year. The Gregorian calendar, which many nations around the world use today, arrived in 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII aligned the calendar, not with the moon, but with the earth’s rotation around the sun — marking 365 days.

New Year's Day timeline

5000 B.C.
The First New Year

Along with signifying the vernal equinox as the start of a new year, the ancient Babylonian festival of Akitu honors the sky god Marduk’s victory over the sea goddess, Tiamat.

46 B.C.
The Establishment of Leap Years

Julius Caesar changes the calendar from pre-Julian to Julian by adding a day every four years as a way to balance out the lunar and solar calendars.

The Middle Ages
A New Christmas Day

The heads of the Church temporarily replace January 1 with Christmas Day or the Feast of the Annunciation — days with more religious significance.

1582
A New Way to Calculate a Year

The Roman Catholic Pope Gregory XIII creates the self-named Gregorian calendar based on the Earth’s rotation around the sun as 365 days or a full year.

New Year's Day - Survey Results

Survey done by one of the top Market Research Agencies:

New Year's Day Traditions

Adding pork to the New Year’s Day menu

You might shake your head to this but many countries have New Year’s traditions that include pigs, which represent progress and abundance. Pork is on New Year’s Day menus in Portugal, Austria, Cuba, and Hungary. 

Thank the Babylonians for New Year’s Day resolutions

Not only were the Mesopotamians and Babylonians among the earliest cultures to mark New Year’s Day as the start of a new year; they came up with the concept of making resolutions. Making resolutions on the first day of the year gave one favor to the gods. 

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day

Did you know that the tradition of cooking and eating black-eyed peas goes back over 1,500 years as a Jewish New Year’s Day tradition? This Rosh Hashanah meal arrived in Georgia with Sephardic Jews around 1730. African-Americans also marked their freedom on January 1, 1863, by cooking and eating black-eyed peas.

New Year's Day FAQs

Is it New Years or New Year?

“New Year’s Day” is the proper noun of the holiday we celebrate in the new year. When wishing someone a Happy New Year, you do not need to use the possessive apostrophe. When referring to it solely as the beginning of the year rather than the holiday, you use the lowercase “new year”. 

Why do we celebrate the new year?

Just like our birthdays, the New Year tells us that we’ve survived yet another 365 days! Phew! 

Why do people say Happy New Years with an S?

The ‘s’ tends to be carried over from the possessive proper noun: New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day. We tend to transfer the possessive into the greeting because, for some reason, it just sits better. However, the correct way to say the greeting is “Happy New Year.”

New Year's Day Activities

  1. One word: brunch

    Soak up the champagne with a nice stack of pancakes and strong coffee. Or go wild with a crab cake benedict. Start the year off on a good foot, with a great meal!

  2. Share resolutions, intentions, or goals with loved ones

    Making any change to your life or behavior — big or small — becomes easier when you have the support of friends and family. Say what you’d like to do differently out loud and chances are you’re more likely to follow through.

  3. Clean out your closet

    Clear out the old clothes, the frumpy pants, and the unwearable shoes. Play some great music. Invite friends over. Start the new year with some space in your closet and mind for wonderful new things.

5 Novel Facts About New Year's

  1. 726 miles traveled

    In 2012, the AAA claimed that Americans traveled 726 miles on New Year's Day.

  2. Hangover food saves many on New Year's Day

    Instead of cooking a big meal on New Year’s Day, 28% of Americans eat out at restaurants for hangover food.

  3. New year, new babies!

    There are almost 8,000 new babies born with a January 1 birthday.

  4. Champagne showers

    360 million glasses of sparkling wine are consumed on New Year's Eve.

  5. Fourth favorite holiday in America

    41% of Americans say New Year's Eve is their favorite holiday, after Christmas, Thanksgiving, and July 4th.

Why We Love New Year's Day

  1. It feels like a blank page

    New year, new … everything! The stress of the holiday season is behind you and you have a whole new year for travel, connection, learning, and exploration. What can you do this year that makes you unrecognizable to yourself a year from now? Go on, think big this year!

  2. Your healthy habits don’t seem so weird

    Sure, you like your glass of wine now and then, but every day? For those of you who have great habits like being vegetarian or low-carb and going to the gym — today, everyone’s trying to be like you. How are you going to help your friends and family stay healthier?

  3. The sense of accomplishment when you look back over the last year

    You make wake up late today, but you accomplished a lot in the last year and probably needed the rest! New Year’s Day is a day to give yourself a pat on the back for all you’ve done and are about to do.

New Year's Day dates

YearDateDay
2025January 1Wednesday
2026January 1Thursday
2027January 1Friday
2028January 1Saturday
2029January 1Monday

Let’s get social

Here are some special hashtags for the day.

#NewYear #NewYearsResolution2020 #OutWithTheOldInWithTheNew

Celebration of Life Week
Celebration of Life Week
Diet Resolution Week
Diet Resolution Week
National Time Consciousness Week
New Year’s Resolutions Week
Silent Record Week
World Series of Beer Pong
Apple Gifting Day
Apple Gifting Day
Commitment Day
Commitment Day
Copyright Law Day
Ellis Island Day
Ellis Island Day
Euro Day
Euro Day
National First-Foot Day
First-Foot Day
Global Family Day
Haitian Independence Day
International Public Domain Day
Mummer's Parade
National Bloody Mary Day
National Hangover Day
National Shepherd Day
New Year's Day
New Year’s Dishonor List Day
New Year’s Dishonor List Day
Polar Bear Plunge Day
Public Domain Day
Ring a Bell Day
Rose Bowl Game
Solemnity of Mary
Sudan Independence Day
Tournament of Roses Parade
Triumph of the Revolution
Triumph of the Revolution
Universal Hour of Peace
Universal Hour of Peace
World Day of Peace
Z Day
Z Day
Adopt a Rescued Bird Month
Apple and Apricot Month
Artichoke and Asparagus Month
Be Kind To Food Servers Month
Bread Machine Baking Month
Bread Machine Baking Month
California Dried Plum Digestive Month
California Dried Plum Digestive Month
California Restaurant Month
California Restaurant Month
Celebration Of Life Month
Celebration Of Life Month
Cervical Health Awareness Month
Cervical Health Awareness Month
Children Impacted by Parent's Cancer Month
Clap 4 Health Month
Dry January
Family Fit Lifestyle Month
Financial Wellness Month
Financial Wellness Month
Get A Balanced Life Month
Get A Balanced Life Month
Get Ireland Active
Get Organized Month
Get Organized Month
Ginuary
International Brain Teaser Month
International Change Your Stars Month
International Child-Centered Divorce Month
International Creativity Month
International Creativity Month
International Quality of Life Month
International Wayfinding Month
International Wealth Mentality Month
Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month
Little Things Mental Health Campaign
Manuary
March of Dimes Birth Defects Prevention Month
National Bath Safety Month
National Be On-Purpose Month
National Birth Defects Prevention Month
National Black Diamond Month
National Blood Donor Month
National Book Blitz Month
National Braille Literacy Month
National CBD Month
National Clean Up Your Computer Month
National Codependency Awareness Month
National Codependency Awareness Month
National Conscience Month
National Eye Care Month
National Eye Care Month
National Fiber Focus Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
National Hobby Month
National Hot Tea Month
National Mail Order Gardening Month
National Mail Order Gardening Month
National Meat Month
National Mentoring Month
National Menudo Month
National Oatmeal Month
National Personal Trainer Awareness Month
National Polka Month
National Pre-Pregnancy Awareness Month
National Radon Action Month
National Skating Month
National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month
National Slow Cooking Month
National Soup Month
National Staying Healthy Month
National Sunday Supper Month
National Thank You Month
National Train Your Dog Month
National Volunteer Blood Donor Month
National Wheat Bread Month
Poverty Awareness Month
Poverty in America Awareness Month
Prune Breakfast Month
Receding Gums Awareness Month
Retail Bakers Month
Rising Star Month
Self-Love Month
Shape Up US Month
Stalking Awareness Month
START Child Health campaign
Teen Driving Awareness Month
Teen Driving Awareness Month
Thyroid Awareness Month
Tubers and Dried Fruit Month
Unchain a Dog Month
Veganuary
Walk Your Dog Month

Holidays Straight to Your Inbox

Every day is a holiday!
Receive fresh holidays directly to your inbox.