New Year's resolutions have been around for many generations. The first people to start this tradition were the Babylonians around 4,000 years ago. New Year’s resolutions for the Babylonians were related to religion, mythology, and power. There was a huge 12 day festival where they promised the gods they worshiped to pay their debts and return borrowed objects. If they stuck with their promises, they were supposed to have a good year. If not, the year would go poorly.
The month of January had an important significance for the people of Ancient Rome. January was named after the God Janus, who signified looking in the past in and looking ahead into the future. Romans offered sacrifices to the deity and made promises of good conduct for the upcoming year. For early Christians, the first day of the new year became the day to think about mistakes in the past and resolve to do better in the future.
In many Spanish cultures people eat twelve grapes before the new year. Each represents a different resolution. They also believe it brings good luck, health and new relationships into the New Year. Some believe you need to eat the grapes under a table at 11:58pm. Eating the grapes two minutes before midnight gives the person time to eat all the grapes before the clock strikes 12. Eating the grapes under the table is said to bring good luck into your life.
Similarly to the Babylonians, we make resolutions or promises; however, these promises are made to ourselves in order to have a good year. These often consist of working out more, eating healthier, getting organized, and being more social. They are less religious in nature today and more personal goals for each person. We asked Lowellville High School students and teachers what their resolutions are for 2023. Based upon our interviews and poll results, 23/32 people created resolutions. Of those resolutions, the most popular was practicing good mental health. Other resolutions include: eating healthier, staying in shape, saving money, and spending time with family.
According to a survey conducted by ABC 8 News these are common resolutions made by people all over the world. Their top five responses were exercising, eating healthy, losing weight, saving money, and spending time with family and friends. These resolutions may be common because they all focus on bettering your mind and body.. Whether or not people keep their resolutions is a whole other story.
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