Early Romans welcomed the new year in March — the time of the spring equinox — as did the ancient Babylonians
The flooding of the Nile, which usually occurred in June, marked the beginning of the new year for ancient Egyptians, who would sing, dance, and feast for a month to welcome the waters that would nourish the crops and bring life to the otherwise dry desert.
Thousands of years ago, the people of Israel observed their first New Year in autumn. Still celebrated in the fall, Rosh Hashanah, reckoned by the lunar calendar, begins 10 days of penitence and prayer that end with Yom Kippur, the most solemn of religious days in the Jewish calendar.
We owe our custom of celebrating New Year’s Day on January 1 to Julius Caesar, who, as emperor in the first century B.C., devised the Julian calendar.
One thing they all have in common is that a new year is a time of new beginnings.
You can start a new beginning for the New Year by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior.
His love, grace, and forgiveness turn everything around.
God’s will is for you to repent and not perish.