Why does the new year start January 1st?

  • Thread starter Thread starter JABA
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
J

JABA

Guest
Our calender represents that 2013 years have passed since the birth of Jesus. Jesus was born on the 25th of December. So shouldn’t Christmas and the new year, be the same date?
 
JABA said:
Our calender represents that 2013 years have passed since the birth of Jesus. Jesus was born on the 25th of December. So shouldn’t Christmas and the new year, be the same date?
Click to expand...
Because the 12 months of the year predated Christ and January was the first month. Monk Dionysius Exiguus created the Anno Domini (Year of our Lord) epoch in AD 525. Before that years were calculated by the year of the reign of the Roman Emperor (ie Luke 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar…). Monk Dionysius Exiguus decided that the we should calculate using the year of Christ. We never changed the months. July is named for Julius Caesar. August is named for Caesar Augustus.

The Liturgical new year in the Western Rite begins with the first Sunday of Advent. The Liturgical new year in the Byzantine Rite is the 1st of September.
 
While I observe the Christian World calander Anno Domini, I still like the Jewish Hebrew Year calender which began on Sep 17-18, 2012 in the Hebrew year 5773.
 
centurionguard said:
While I observe the Christian World calander Anno Domini, I still like the Jewish Hebrew Year calender which began on Sep 17-18, 2012 in the Hebrew year 5773.
Click to expand...
The Hebrew Calendar follows Anno Mundi (in the year [from the creation] of the world). I like it as well. 🙂
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top