An Ancient New Year

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An Ancient New Year

By Jody Williams
New Year's Day is one of
the oldest holidays. It may
have first been celebrated
about four thousand years
ago. It was celebrated in
Babylon. Babylon was an
ancient city. The first New
Year's celebrations were in
the spring. They lasted
eleven days. They
celebrated the planting of
new crops. Now New
Year's Day is celebrated on
January 1. Janus was a Roman god. He was pictured with two heads.
One head looked ahead. The other head looked back. Janus was a
symbol for the New Year. It meant old and new. Today the New
Year's symbols are different. A baby means the new start of a new
year. An old man is the symbol for winding up an old year. Many
countries celebrate the New Year. Not all celebrate on the same day.
Not all celebrate in the same way. Each country has its own traditions
of welcoming a new year.

Questions
1. When do people think that the first New Year's Day was
celebrated?
A. about 50 years ago
B. millions of years ago
C. hundreds of years ago
D. thousands of years ago
2. New Year's Day might have first been celebrated in ancient
Babylon.
A. true
B. false
3. Why were early New Year's Days celebrated in the spring?

4. Who was Janus?

A. a Roman god
B. a person with two heads
C. both A and B
D. neither A nor B
5. What did Janus symbolize?

Over the years, many symbols have been used to represent a new year
and the passing of an old year. What symbols would you suggest?
Explain your answer.

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6. What are two New Year's symbols that are used today?
A. a ticking clock and a calendar
B. an old man and a baby
C. a baby and a ticking clock

How do you celebrate the start of a new year? Be sure to include the
date that the New Year is celebrated.