Calendars were first made so that people could predict recurring events, such as planting and harvest times. In 45 BC, Julius Caesar ordered that the new year be celebrated on January first to honor Janus, the god of beginnings and gatekeeper of heaven and earth. Janus was a double-faced god who looked forward into the new year and backward to the old. The name Janus gave us the word “January.” The ing of one year into the beginning of another is marked around the world by New Year’s Eve customs ranging from high-spirited parties to solemn prayer and thought. The […]
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