The Babylonians are credited with the earliest recorded New Year festival, held around 4,000 years ago.
Their festival was called Akitu and took place in spring, near the vernal equinox. It honored the city’s chief god, Marduk, and included religious ceremonies, processions, and the symbolic renewal of kingship.
Akitu was not held on December 31. Ancient peoples used calendars based on lunar and solar cycles, so the date of the new year varied by culture and era. Babylonian celebrations are important because written records describe them in unusual detail.
The Roman calendar later helped popularize January as the start of the year in Europe. Thus, the earliest recorded New Year celebration and the modern New Year’s Eve date belong to different historical traditions.