By Yinka Olumide
Since 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII decreed the Gregorian calendar to replace the old calendar, the universe has been celebrating December 31 as the eve of a New Year. This is because Pope Gregory had decreed that January 1 must replace April 1 as the beginning of the new calendar year.
New Year’s Eve comes but once a year on December 31. The day means different things for different people. For many, the last day of the last month is usually the longest and many for some reasons, do not want the day to end.
But for others the day passes rather too quickly and they could rather not wish for more, as it brings a closure to many of their experiences in the year.
Most of us give little thought as to why we ceremoniously say goodbye to one year and hello to a new one on December 31. Even those who don’t make special plans to greet the arrival of a new year at the stroke of midnight on December 31 pay homage to the rite with thoughts of the year gone by and hopes for the year to come.
Why do we end each year on December 31 and begin a new one on January 1 anyway?
There are a lot of mixed feelings on this day — it gives us the opportunity to reflect on the past year with all its highs and lows, but we also get ready to party our way into the New Year. Here’s to a new day, New Year, and new beginnings!
For many, especially in Nigeria, a country gradually emerging as the religious capital of the world, the New Year eve offers an opportunity for many to recharge their spiritual battery and begin the New Year with prayers.
Many religious homes would open their doors this evening as worshippers will throng to worship God and pray their way into the early hours of the day.
Across the world, the shout of Happy New Year will rent the earth at about 12am, as the New Year 2023 would receive warm welcome.
HISTORY OF NEW YEAR’S EVE
New Year’s Eve on December 31 marks the final day of what is known as a Gregorian calendar year. Prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar as the global standard, most of the ancient world ran on many different and diverse calendaring systems to track the passage of time.
The Gregorian calendar we use today was introduced by the Vatican in Rome under Pope Gregory XIII in October 1582. The Gregorian calendar is based on the solar year and replaced an ancient Roman calendar that was based on the lunar cycle of the earth’s moon. The Gregorian calendar is a modified version of the Julian calendar that was introduced by Roman Emperor Julius Caesar during his reign around 44 B.C., at the suggestion of Greek astronomer and mathematician Sosigenes of Alexandria.
The transition from a lunar cycle calendar to a solar year calendar on October 4, 1582, necessitated that a few days be eliminated. The day after October 4, 1582, was therefore declared by Pope Gregory to be October 15, 1582. Don’t ask us what happened to all the poor souls whose birthdays were on October 5 to 14.
Along with the implementation of a new calendar on October 4, 1582, the pope also decreed that each year would officially begin on January 1 instead of April 1 as had been the custom under the old lunar calendar system. This decision had no actual astronomical basis and was influenced by the ancient feast celebrating the Roman god Janus, the god of doorways and beginnings. The first of January seemed like a good starting-over point on a new calendar.
- NationalToday