The celebration of New Year’s eve is one of humanity’s oldest holiday tradition, dating all the way back to the ancient Babylonians. In the years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon after the Vernal Equinox which was used to indicate the first day of spring; they called their New Years rêš šattim, 'beginning of the year'... or 'head of the year'...The festival is also referred to as Akitu and it was tied closely to their planting time. They had one heck of a celebration—lasting 12 days to be exact. Each day represented a ritualistic step in integration with their main diety, Marduk.
Below the fold, a 12 day 'party' that was as important to social cohension of an empire as it was to religion.
According to Julye Bidmead,
The Akitu festival is one of the oldest recorded religious festivals in the world, celebrated for several millennia throughout ancient Mesopotamia. Yet, the Akitu was more than just a religious ceremony—it acted as a political device employed by the monarchy and/or the central priesthood to ensure the supremacy of the king, the national god, and his capital city. Politics and religion in Mesopotamia were irrevocably intertwined. Myths and their supportive rituals justified social institutions and legitimized rulers. Akitu festival was a tool wielded by the monarchy and ruling class to promote state ideology
Babylonians apparently sang all types of songs throughout their festivities – one of which was a fairly hot love song to their goddess of sexuality and love, Ištar.
The Akitu Festival came to have a double character. It originated in nature festival, with features which expressed simultaneously nature's grief at the death of all growing things and her joy at their rebirth. On to this had been grafted the glorification of Marduk. In Babylon, Marduk received in his temple of Esagila all the gods of other great cities in the shape of their statues, the first being his son Nabu, worshiped in Borsippa. Marduk disappears, but then grief is changed to gaiety on his reappearance, and the entire company of gods was escorted in a great procession to the temple outside the city, known as Akitu. In between, many sacred performances took place, which glorified Marduk as hero and victorious against Chaos and included a sacred marriage ceremony.
http://www.nineveh.com/...
So what happened? The Romans . Basically, they were okay with the celebrations-the idea of conflating religions with state control was nothing new to them --in fact, like the Babylonians they found it quite effective -- but, being orderly Romans, they wanted a consistent date for their calendars, not tied to the Equinox.
In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the new year. Both the Julian and Gregorian calendar that followed use January 1st as their New year date which is why we are celebrating New Years today. But don't worry, Christianity soon was grafted onto many of the Roman pagan traditions (like Saturnalia) and state control and religion maintained their happy alliance for years afterwards. As one comic put it, our Christmas tradition is based on an act of sympathetic magic.
For example, during Saturnalia lamps were kept burning to ward off the spirits of darkness. Schools were closed, the army rested, and no criminals were executed. Friends visited one another, bringing good-luck gifts of fruit, cakes, candles, dolls, jewellery, and incense. Temples were decorated with evergreens symbolizing life's continuity, and processions of people with masked or blackened faces and fantastic hats danced through the streets.
The custom of mummers visiting their neighbours in costume, which is still alive in Newfoundland, is descended from these masked processions. But one of the most equalitarian aspects of Saturnalia was a sit down feast shared by masters and slaves.
In fact, during the festivities slaves were given the freedom to do and say what they liked. A Mock King was even appointed to take charge of the revels. And from this fantastic class reversal, developed the so called "the Lord of Misrule’ of medieval Christmas festivities.
Below are short podcasts on
Saturnalia
Babylonian New Years
Happy New Years!