New Year's Resolutions: Where They Came From and How to Make Them Work For You

Those pesky New Year's resolutions – it's that time again, as the calendar flips to January 1, when everyone is talking about them.  I have mixed emotions about New Year's resolutions.  In theory, they're a great idea – start the new year fresh, resolving to make positive changes in your life.  Practically speaking, though, statistics show that most New Year's resolutions are broken before the end of January.  This got me to thinking about where the idea of making New Year's resolutions came from and what we can do to make them actually work for us. 

History of New Year's Resolutions

Most historians say the Babylonians started the tradition some 4,000 years ago.  Their new year was celebrated on what is March 23 on our calendar, which actually makes a lot of sense since that is early spring, when the earth is beginning to bloom with new life.  One of the most popular Babylonian resolutions was to return something borrowed from a friend during the previous year. 

The Chinese New Year has been celebrated for thousands of years as well.  Although the exact date of their New Year varies each year, it generally falls sometime between January 19 and February 21.  A popular Chinese custom has been to begin their new year with a good housecleaning. 

The Roman emperors liked to fiddle with the calendar, so it was changed several times until Julius Caesar developed what we know as the Julian Calendar, establishing January 1 as the beginning of the new year.  The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances.  Janus was depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back.  His image was placed at the beginning of the calendar so he could look back at the old year and forward to the new year at the same time.  A popular New Year's resolution for ancient Romans was to ask forgiveness from any enemies they had made in the past year. 

In the Middle Ages, Christians changed the day they celebrated the New Year to December 25 to coincide with their celebration of the birth of Jesus.  Later they changed it to March 25, a holiday  called the Annunciation, commemorating the day the angel told Mary she would give birth to Jesus.  Finally, in the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar, returning the New Year celebration to January 1.  Early Christians spent the first day of the new year reflecting on past mistakes and resolving to improve oneself in the new year.

In today's culture, New Year's resolutions have become less about improving our character and more about improving our health.  Some of  today's most popular resolutions include losing weight, exercising more, and quitting smoking.  Businesses that specialize in health-related products, such as supplements or exercise equipment, find that January is usually one of their best months for sales.  TV programs, commercials and Web sites abound with “New Year, New You” promotions.