The celebration of the new year is thought to be the oldest observed holiday. It is believed to have began roughly 4,000 years ago in Babylon. The celebration was probably not held Jan. 1, but instead, on the first day of spring, in March.

The Babylonian new year began with the first new moon after the vernal equinox. Spring is the beginning of a new season of planting crops and rebirth on the earth and therefore was a good time to celebrate. Just why the new year beginning with spring bounced back and forth from January to March is difficult to determine.

The Romans continued to observe the new year in late March, but their calendar became out of sync with the sun. So in order to set the calendar right, the Roman Senate declared Jan. 1 as the beginning of the new year.

This seemed to go along fine until A.D. 567 when the Council of Tours abolished Jan. 1 as the new year and again celebrated the new year in March.

In 1582 when the Gregorian calendar was started, the new year celebration was again moved back to January. However, western nations have only been celebrating the new year on Jan. 1 for 400 years. The tradition of making a New Year's resolution also dates back to early Babylon. Probably the most likely resolution was to return any borrowed farm equipment so farming could begin again.

Today the most popular resolution people make in the United States is to lose weight. Resolving to be prosperous has always been on the top of resolution lists.

In the early days of celebrating the new year, the church condemned the festivities as paganism, but as Christianity grew, the church began blending its own religious observance with the pagan celebration.

There are many other traditions that have been added throughout the centuries that revolve around cultures, religions and lifestyles, but the one thing everyone has in common is wishing others a Happy New Year.