The start of a new year is a time for celebrating, but it’s also a time for making resolutions for the coming year. New Year’s resolutions are an ancient tradition that are found in many cultures and are still popular today. The new year was not always celebrated in January and it is still celebrated at different times in other cultures. The Chinese celebrate the Lunar New Year, which is customarily in January or February. The Jewish celebration of the new year, or Rosh Hashanah, usually takes place in autumn. No matter when the new year is commemorated, most cultures see it as a time for new beginnings and a time when promises and goals for the next year are set. Ancient Babylonians were the first to leave a written record of New Year’s resolutions. They celebrated the new year when crops were planted at the beginning of spring. Although ancient Babylonians were making promises to their gods, not to go to the gym or eat more salads like some people do today, these can be considered early New Year’s resolutions.

Ancient Romans also made New Year’s resolutions. Emperor Julius Caesar moved the new year to January 1st to align with his new calendar. To celebrate the new year, Romans offered gifts to their gods and promised good behavior for the rest of the year.
During the middle ages, Europeans also made resolutions that were called “peacock vows.” These were vows made primarily by medieval knights, who would gather around a peacock or other type of bird and pledge to behave appropriately. This usually took place around Christmas. So while it was not always at the very start of a new year, it was a type of resolution for the coming months.
Later, Christian communities adopted the practice of marking the new year with a celebration and promises to improve their behavior. They also held a service on New Year’s Eve to prevent people from going to parties outside the church. This tradition is still upheld in many churches today.
By the seventeenth century, people were writing down resolutions near the end of the year, and in 1813, the phrase “New Year’s resolution” first appeared in a Boston newspaper. Since then, the concept of making a resolution on or near the new year has grown in popularity and the phrase “New Year’s resolution” has become almost universally understood.
Today, many people make resolutions. Modern resolutions are often more about personal enhancement or goals than about celebrating new crops. The feelings of inspiration and hope that are present at the start of a new year are common and people around the world enjoy the opportunity to set goals to improve themselves.