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The God Janus and the Consular Year
In ancient Rome, the god Janus was the deity of doors, beginnings, and transitions. He was depicted with two faces—one looking to the past and the other to the future. Inspired by this symbolism, Emperor Julius Caesar designated January, the month named for Janus, as the gateway to the new year when he established the Julian calendar. As a result, January 1st became the first day of the year, and it was also the day when new consuls would assume office.
The Julian Calendar as a Tool of Power
For Julius Caesar, the Julian calendar was both a political tool and a weapon. As Roman armies conquered new lands, the Empire often allowed its new subjects some freedom to retain certain religious and social customs. However, the Julian calendar was implemented in all corners of the Empire, not just for consistency, but to serve as a constant reminder of Roman authority and Caesar’s power.
After the calendar was created, it was used in all corners of the Empire to remind all citizens of Roman authority and the power of Caesar.
After the fall of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity across Europe, the January 1st New Year celebration was viewed as a pagan holiday. This was largely because the Romans celebrated the day with orgies and drunkenness, so early Christians moved the start of the year to more religiously significant dates, such as Christmas or Easter.
The Romans celebrated the first day of the new year enjoying orgies and drunkenness.
Pope Gregory XIII’s Calendar Reform
This calendrical chaos persisted for centuries until a pope addressed the issue during the Middle Ages. The Julian calendar had a small mathematical error, causing it to be slightly out of alignment with the solar year. By 1582, this drift had accumulated to a difference of 10 days. This meant the Spring Equinox, and with it Easter, was shifting earlier and earlier. Pope Gregory XIII, tired of recalculating the holidays, devised a new system.
He introduced the Gregorian calendar, which used a more precise leap day rule to keep it aligned with the solar year. He also officially restored January 1st as the first day of the year.
A Slow and Controversial Adoption
Most Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendar quickly, but Protestant and Eastern Orthodox countries resisted for a long time. Protestants complained that the “Roman Antichrist” was trying to trick them into worshiping on the wrong days. Eastern Orthodox churches, wanting to keep their traditions, continued to use the Julian calendar for centuries.
Russia did not switch to the Gregorian calendar until after the 1917 revolution, and even today, the Eastern Orthodox Church follows a version of the Julian calendar to establish its liturgical year. Eventually, Protestant nations also adopted the Gregorian calendar. England, Ireland, and the British colonies officially made January 1st the beginning of the year in 1752.
