When you spend as much time around Medieval clothing, Renaissance clothing, and other historical garb as we do, you can’t help but get interested in the past a little bit. With 2013 knocking at the door, many of you are probably figuring out your New Year’s resolution or doing something similar. It might be a fun idea to resolve to look back on the past a bit in the coming year to see exactly where we’ve all come from. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how the celebration of the New Year has changed throughout history.

• It should go without saying that the celebration of a new year is the oldest of all recorded holidays. It was first observed in Babylon about 4000 years ago. In those days, the New Year began with the first New Moon after the first day of spring. This makes sense—the season of spring feels like a true time of rebirth and renewal.
• So how did the New Year come to fall on January 1? The Romans celebrated the New Year in late March, but emperors changed the calendar and one thing just led to another. In an effort to set the calendar straight, the Roman senate declared January 1 to be the beginning of the New Year way back in 153 BC.
• During the Middle Ages, the Church was actually opposed to the celebration of New Years. It didn’t become a Western celebration until about 400 years ago. Huh!

Ring in the New Year in style by choosing the perfect Medieval clothing and Renaissance clothing from Pearson’s! Don’t party like it’s 2013… Party like it’s 1613!