The Roman god Janus inspired the English name for January, the month that begins the new year.
Janus was associated with beginnings, transitions, doorways, gates, and passages. He was commonly represented with two faces, one looking forward and one looking backward. That imagery made him an especially fitting figure for the boundary between the old year and the new one.
The Latin month name Ianuarius developed from Janus's name and became the source of January in English and related languages. January is the first month in the Gregorian calendar, the civil calendar used by most countries today. It follows December and precedes February.
January was not always the first month in every Roman calendar tradition. Early Roman calendars are often described as beginning in March, while January and February were later placed at the start of the year. Calendar reforms, including the Julian reform and eventually the Gregorian calendar, helped establish the arrangement familiar today, although different cultures and religious traditions continue to observe other new-year dates.