We are all very thankful for the TIME that God gives us as a blessing — whether it’s just another day in our life, a week, a month, or even another year.
This world has just entered another Roman Calendar year — 2020.
And it is a very popular and common custom to celebrate it with lots of noise, and especially with fireworks. But did you know where that custom came from and why?
In the midst of our celebrating, it is very important to understand what we are doing and why.
6 Important Questions:
- Is it really the new year when we take into account the correct season of the year?
- Why is it observed right in the middle of dead winter (in temperate countries of the Northern Hemisphere)?
- Where did the customs and traditions associated with New Year celebrations come from?
- For Christians: Is New Year celebration somehow commanded in the Bible?
- Is the date of the New Year identified somewhere in the Bible?
- What does the Bible say about observing its customs and traditions?
The answer to all these questions will be given toward the end of this article. Meanwhile, here are 10 surprising facts that you may (or may not) have known.
10 Facts About “New Year”
- The “New Year” of January 1 is only true in the present Roman calendar. This calendar was originally developed by pagan Rome over a thousand years ago. It even went through a transition from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.
- The Aztecs, Babylonians, Chinese, Hebrews, Hindus, Maya, Moslems, etc. have their respective calendars with differing new year dates from each other and when compared to the Roman calendar in use today. So which calendar reckoning is correct?
- Surprisingly, the Roman calendar has never been a “Christian” calendar until it was adopted by and assimilated as its own calendar by the Roman Catholic Church.
- The popular custom of celebrating it with fireworks and other noise-making devices has a pagan origin. All the noise is believed to drive away evil spirits. But after centuries of such consistent noise-making, why do evil spirits still exist in this world?
- The custom of welcoming the “new year” with an abundance of round objects in the form of round fruits, shiny balls, and coins is believed to bring prosperity for the coming year. But why are there still financial difficulties among most of those who do, and widespread poverty in this world?
- The first month of the Roman calendar year called “January” was named after a mythical pagan god called “Janus.” He was believed to have two faces — one bearded face looking at the old year, and the other younger face, looking at the new.
- The ancient Roman calendar began with only 10 months. The winter months were originally ignored and were not counted in their time reckoning until much later.
- The present Roman calendar had been SHIFTED away by two months from its original chronological sequence when the two winter months were added. Notice the solid proof based upon the original Latin names in the remaining four “-ber” months. September corresponded originally to the seventh [Latin: septimus] month. October corresponded originally to the eighth [octavus] month. November was originally the ninth [nomus] month, while December was originally the tenth [decimus] Roman month. But these stated original chronological months have later been moved to become instead the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and the twelfth month in the present Roman calendar. Two months change is a big discrepancy if we are to be accurate with the calendar we intend to use!
- The fact that the professing “Christian” world has adopted the ancient Roman calendar with the pagan names of the months and with the pagan names for the days of the week, solidly shows that paganism has greatly influenced Christianity in these matters, rather than the other way around. This shows “traditional” Christianity’s abysmal failure to transform paganism!
- Knowing all these facts, a relatively small group of true Christians (faithful followers of the real Founder of true Christianity — the Messiah whose real name is Yahshua) have not been practicing any of these pagan “New Year” customs and traditions, even up to this very day.
Answers to Questions:
1. Is it really the new year when we take into account the correct season of the year?
It is illogical and biologically unscientific to start something “new” in the middle of dead winter. It makes no sense to be celebrating at such a time — and for what? Unless it is simply a carryover from the ancient pagan customs and traditions of ignorant and uncivilized people in the past.
On the other hand, the Supreme Creator of time called YHWH [popularly known as “God”] taught the ancient Israelites through Moses WHEN the beginning of the year should start. He wisely declared it to start at the beginning of Springtime, when plant life begins to sprout again and when animals in hibernation during the winter months begin to stir back to active life.
Interestingly, the name for the first month of the year has been appropriately named “Abib” which according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, catalogued as [H24], means “green ears [of corn]; in the ear.” This corresponds to March-April in the Roman calendar.
In summary, based on logic, biological principles, biblical command, and historical truth, January 1 is not the proper “new year” to be celebrated because it simply is not. Rather, God Himself ordained the true beginning of the year according to His wisdom and design on earth. None among humans, including the Romans, or ancient pagan tribes can be any wiser than God.
2. Why is it observed right in the middle of winter (in the temperate countries of the Northern Hemisphere)?
The obvious and historical answer is that such customs came from ancient pagan beliefs. It is still related to, and an extension of the ancient Brumalia celebrations. The ancients worshipped the sun-god. When they saw that the duration of the sun’s journey across the sky was gradually getting shorter, and the weather was becoming colder, they began to be alarmed and thought of doing something to reverse the precarious situation. They realized that their life and continued existence depended on the sun-god. Without the sun’s light and warmth, plants won’t grow. And without plants, both animals and humans will have no food. And if both animals and humans will have no food, human life and civilization will end. Thus, they invented rituals and customs which they believed will bring back the longer sunshine, and naturally, it did. [They did not then understand that the 23.5-degree tilt of earth’s axis in relation to the plane of its orbit around the sun, causes the seasons.] Since the sun “came back” to bring springtime and summer, they believed it was their rituals that caused it, and thus their customs were perpetuated to this very day.
3. Where did the customs and traditions associated with New Year celebrations come from?
As explained in the previous paragraph, these came from ancient pagan customs and beliefs.
4. Is New Year celebration somehow commanded for Christians in the Bible?
There is no verse in the whole Bible that commands us to celebrate January 1 — neither to call it a “new year.” These practices came from ancient paganism.
5. Is the date of the New Year identified somewhere in the Bible?
Regarding January 1 as the date of the new year in the Bible, there is absolutely no mention of such at all.
However, as previously mentioned, God ordained the Hebrew month Abib during Springtime as the beginning of months in the Sacred Calendar [commonly referred to also as God’s Calendar].
For those interested in the technical details of finding the exact date of the beginning of the Sacred Year, here are the steps to follow:
How to Find the Date of the Real New Year:
- The Sun. God has led enlightened humans to determine and designate the Spring Equinox as a starting marker point in the heavens. “Equinox” is a Latin word which literally means “equal nights.” In astronomical terms translated into simple layman’s language, it is that day near Springtime when the day and the night have equal length as to the number of hours each. In our present generation, this occurs on March 20 of every year.
- The Moon. The next step is to consider and observe the orbit of the moon around the earth. The first New Moon after the Spring Equinox is the next marker to determine the first or start of the Sacred Month of the Sacred Year. For this year 2020, the first day of the Sacred Year will occur on March 25, according to the scientific data of NASA. If we are talking about the date of the True New Year, that is the exact date. However, since God in the Bible did not command us to celebrate or worship on that date, we do not — but worship God alone as commanded in His Word.
6. What does the Bible say about the common practice of observing pagan customs and traditions?
When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the [pagan] nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.” [See also Leviticus 18:3, 26-30]
~Deuteronomy 12:29-31
Summary
The New Year celebration on January 1 of the Roman Calendar is not a true new year because it is based on an ancient pagan calendar and does not coincide with God’s time reckoning.
The only true calendar is the one revealed by the Ultimate Creator of time itself — God Himself. (The modern calculated Hebrew calendar is not the same as the Sacred Calendar. Please read the calendar articles listed below this article.)
God did not command us to celebrate any day — except those He directly commanded as the Sabbath and the Seven Annual Holy Days or Festivals enumerated in Leviticus 23:1-44.
God warned His people not to add or subtract from His commands (Deuteronomy 12:31).
Conclusion
Concerning His own people, God has special commands for us to be “holy” (1 Peter 1:15,16). Furthermore, the Messiah Himself said, “You shall know the truth [about pagan practices] and the truth shall make you free” [from them] (John 8:32). In this case, we should free ourselves from following false “new year” dates, pagan beliefs, customs, and ancient traditions.
For Additional Reading:
Is January 1 Really the Start of the Biblical New Year?
The Surprising Origins of our Modern Calendar
Why All the Confusion in This World’s Various Calendars?