The Babylonian New Year festival where resolutions or promises were made was called Akitu.
Akitu was an ancient Mesopotamian spring festival associated with the beginning of the Babylonian year and the sowing of barley. It was traditionally celebrated over about 12 days, with ceremonies honoring the chief god Marduk, public processions, prayers, feasting, and rituals intended to renew the world and the kingdom.
One part of the festival involved people making promises to return borrowed agricultural equipment and settle debts. These practical pledges are an early example of New Year commitments, although they were not identical to modern personal resolutions about fitness or self-improvement. The festival also reinforced social and political order: the king took part in rituals of humility and renewal.
Akitu is sometimes confused with Nowruz, Rosh Hashanah, or Saturnalia because all are connected with seasonal or calendar change. They belong to different cultures and religious traditions. Akitu began as a Mesopotamian celebration and has also influenced interpretations of Babylonian creation and kingship rituals. Modern Assyrian communities continue to celebrate Akitu, generally on April 1, as an Assyrian New Year festival.