“New Year’s Resolutions” are thousands of years old. Those who did not comply with them faced the wrath of God

Making new decisions or setting goals for the following year is a practice that dates back around 4 thousand years. In ancient Mesopotamia, the entry into a new year was already celebrated. The Romans celebrated with cleanliness.

“The desire to start over is a human impulse,” he says Candida Moss, professor at the University of Birmingham, specializing in ancient history and early Christianity, at .

It is therefore not surprising that there is “lots of written documentation about the festivities New Year’s Eve in ancient Babylon, Syria and other places in Mesopotamia, related to the notion of the beginning of the new year”, as the professor of oriental languages ​​and civilizations guarantees Eckart Frahm.

Many of these festivities coincided, in the time of the Roman Empire, with the spring equinox, so the Romans used to thank the gods for an abundant harvest. However, the change started with themselves.

According to historians, the Romans began the new year with “supernatural spring cleaning” and wishes of renewal. “These traditions focused on starting the year off on the right foot: clean the house, stock the pantry, pay debts and return borrowed objects“, explica Moss.

The vows made to the gods, a bit like modern promises, were to be fulfilled. It was believed that fulfilling them assured divine favor for the following yearwhile breaking them risked wrath of the gods.

Later, in colonial America, “there was a desire to avoid debauchery and reflect on the years that have passed and those that followed. This period marked the emergence of resolutions in a modern sense“.

Alexis McCrossen, professor of history at Southern Methodist University, says that, during this period, it was common for churches to have a “Saturday sermon”, which took place on the first Sunday of the year. These sermons often emphasized that time is fleeting and that congregants should be better servants of God.

By the 19th century, New Year’s resolutions had transcended their Christian origins. Now, they are also common among atheists.

But only three out of 10 Americans have made New Year’s resolutions in 2024. Others believe that they do not work. In any case, the practice is already a deep-rooted tradition. It is best to practice it if you are afraid of the anger of the gods.