Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions, gives January its traditional association with looking backward and forward at New Year’s Eve.
Roman artists commonly represented Janus with two faces, one looking toward the past and the other toward the future. This imagery made the god a natural symbol for thresholds, changes, doorways, and the transition from one year to the next.
The English month name January comes through Latin Ianuarius, meaning the month of Janus. The Roman calendar’s relationship with January changed over time, but January 1 eventually became an important civic date for beginning the consular year.
Janus is often confused with Saturn because Saturn was another major Roman deity associated with a prominent winter festival, Saturnalia. Janus, rather than Saturn, is the figure directly connected with the name and symbolism of January.