New Year's Day

From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change

New Year's Day is a holiday in many countries, created to welcome the New Year. In the United States, New Year's Day is January 1. The New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next. Cultures that measure yearly calendars all have New Year celebrations.

[change] Modern new year celebrations

• January 1 - Christian New Year

• January 14 - Eastern Orthodox New Year (celebrating Jesus' circumcision)

• January 21 - Chinese New Year (also known as the lunar year, occurs every year on the first lunar month)

• January 21 - Vietnamese New Year (also known as the Tết Nguyên Đán)

• January to March - Tibetan New Year

• March 14 - Sikh Nanakshahi New Year (also called Hola Mohalla)

• March 20 or 21 - Iranian New Year (also called Norouz, it is the day containing the exact moment of the vernal equinox)

• March 21 - Bahá'í New Year (also called Naw-Rúz)

• April 1 - Assyrian New Year (also called Rish Nissanu)

• April 13 or 14 - Tamil New Year

• March or April - Telugu New Year

• April 13 - Punjabi New Year (also called Vaisakhi and celebrates the harvest)

• April 13 to 15 - Thai New Year (celebrated by throwing water)

• April 13 or 14 - Sri Lankan New Year (when the sun moves from the Meena Rashiya (House of Pisces) to the Mesha Rashiya (House of Aries))

• April 13 to April 15 - Cambobian New Year

• April 14 or 15 - Bengali New Year (also called Pohela Baisakh)

• October or November - Gujarati New Year

• October or November - Marwari New Year

• Muharram 1 - Islamic New Year

[change] Historical dates for the new year

[change] Roman calendars

The ancient Roman calendar had only ten months and started the year on 1 March, which is still reflected in the names of some months which derive from Latin: September (seventh), October (eighth), November (ninth), December (tenth).

[change] Addition of two new months

Around 713 BC the months of January and February were added to the year, traditionally by the second king, Numa Pompilius, along with the leap month Intercalaris. The year used in dates was the consular year, which began on the day when consuls first entered office — fixed by law at 15 March in 222 BC, but this event was moved to 1 January in 153 BC. In 45 BC, Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar, dropping Intercalaris; however, 1 January continued to be the first day of the new year.

[change] Early Christmas

In Christmas Style dating the new year started on 25 December. This was used in Germany and England until the thirteenth century, and in Spain from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century.

In Annunciation Style dating the new year started on 25 March, the feast of the Annunciation. This was used in many parts of Europe in the Middle Ages, and was the style introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in AD 525. Annunciation Style continued to be used in the Kingdom of Great Britain until January 1, 1752, except Scotland which changed to Circumcision Style dating on 1 January 1600. The rest of Great Britain changed to Circumcision Style on the 1 January preceding the conversion in Great Britain from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar on 3/14 September 1752.

[change] Other websites

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