New Year
New Year is the annual observance marking the beginning of a calendar year. In the Gregorian calendar, it falls on January 1.
New Year's resolutions: Personal goals or commitments made at the start of a new year. The custom makes the year’s beginning a prompt for deliberate personal change.
Calendar: A system for organizing days into periods such as weeks, months, and years. New Year depends on a calendar’s rule for when one year ends and another starts.
Roman calendar: The evolving calendar system used in ancient Rome before and during the transition to the Julian calendar. Roman calendar reforms established the historical basis for January 1 as a year boundary.
Lunar New Year: A family of New Year observances dated according to lunisolar calendars, commonly falling between late January and February. Its moving date contrasts with the fixed Gregorian observance on January 1.
Auld Lang Syne: A Scottish song associated with farewells and remembrance, often sung at New Year celebrations. Its lyrics give the midnight transition a language of friendship and remembrance.
Gregorian calendar: The solar calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 and used internationally for civil purposes. Its year begins on January 1, the date associated with this observance.
Janus: The Roman god of beginnings, transitions, and doorways, traditionally associated with January. The month’s name connects the year’s opening with Roman ideas of thresholds and beginnings.
Nowruz: The Iranian New Year, celebrated at the spring equinox and marking the beginning of the Solar Hijri year. Its equinox timing makes the seasonal renewal of spring central to the year’s start.
New Year's Eve: The final evening of a calendar year, commonly marked by gatherings and countdowns. Many celebrations concentrate on the final hours before the new year begins.
Civil year: A year used for civil, administrative, or legal purposes. The Gregorian New Year marks the start of the civil year in many countries.