The Babylonians are credited with the earliest recorded New Year festival, held in Babylon around the spring equinox.
The festival was called Akitu and was celebrated in ancient Mesopotamia. It honored the chief god Marduk and marked the renewal of kingship, nature, and the social order. Records place the celebration in the month of Nisanu, corresponding roughly to March or April in the modern calendar.
Akitu was not simply a party. It involved religious processions, rituals, prayers, and a public reaffirmation of the king’s authority. The ceremonies lasted several days and included the symbolic meeting of the king and Marduk’s statue.
The date was later moved in some cultures as calendars changed. This is why the Babylonian festival should not be confused with the January 1 New Year used by many countries today.