New Year Resolutions - Where did this practice come from? Do people the world over set resolutions?
I've been asked quite a few times what my 2021 resolutions are, and it got me thinking. Where did this practice come from and when? And do cultures around the world also have this practice?
Answers ( 1 )
The custom of making New Year’s resolutions has been around for thousands of years, but it has not always looked the way it does today. People have been pledging to change their ways in the new year—whether by getting in shape, quitting a bad habit, or learning a skill—for an estimated 4,000 years now. The tradition is thought to have first caught on among the ancient Babylonians, who made promises in order to earn the favor of the gods and start the year off on the right foot. (They would reportedly vow to pay off debts and return borrowed farm equipment.) They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year.
New Year’s resolutions vary around the world. The start of a new year has been celebrated by civilizations around the globe for thousands of years. In most countries today, New Year's festivities begin on December 31, but some celebrate it at other times. And even where the date is the same, the customs often differ.