Happy New Year?
As we near the end of February, it feels appropriate to reflect on the evolution of our calendar, the origins of this month, and the possibilities it holds within its remaining days!
We are all aware that February is a shorter month than all the others, and most of us likely know that this connects in some way to an effort to create a calendar that more closely mirrors the movement of the heavens. But what is less well-known is that February is not only the shortest month, it’s also the newest! In fact, the calendar used to consist of just ten months – March to December (the names of the months mirror this fact – “sept” being the prefix for seven, “oct” for eight, and so on, which only makes sense if month “one” is March). The days that are now January and February still existed, of course, but because these were dark, cold days where nothing was planted or harvested, there was no point seen in marking the time. It wasn’t until the time of the Roman King Numa Pompilius that January and February were added to the calendar.
The calendar continued changing over the centuries, as Julius Caesar and then Pope Gregory XIII had their turn at trying to make it more accurate, which resulted in changes to the length of different months and the creation of “leap years.” You can read more about those changes in this Discover Magazine article. Something else that changed, which makes more sense given the above context, was the placement of New Year’s! New Year’s Day of course differs across the calendars used by different cultures, but even within the tradition we’re talking about here, it has been in March, December, and now January. It’s not quite arbitrary, but it kind of feels that way!
And that’s where we invite you to play this week – in the idea that your “new year” can begin whenever you want it to. You can make a fresh start at any time in the year! You are free to start over right now, as the weather begins to warm and the days get longer and things begin to grow again. Why not set new goals for yourself, or do a deep clean (literal or figurative), or commit to learning something new…and why not celebrate?
Happy New Year! We’d love to hear if and how you choose to celebrate – connect with us on Facebook or Instagram and share your February New Year’s celebrations with us.
