Resolutions are not new

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — At the end of this week many millions of Americans and people across the world will be setting out to keep their New Year’s resolutions. Many will resolve to get in shape and head back to renew their gym memberships. Others will promise to read more and take more time for self care. While some will embark on learning a new skill, language or musical instrument.

But, where did the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions even come from?

Turns out, the human race has been practicing the ritual for nearly 4,000 years. Sources claim that ancient Babylonians began the practice. They were also the first humans to record the beginning of a new year; however, their year didn’t begin in January. It began in March in line with yearly crop planting.

However, in its humble beginnings, the first New Year’s resolutions were more about the people making promises to their Gods to payoff their debts and return any belongings they had borrowed over the year. If they could keep their promises, the people believed their Gods would bless them and return good favor upon them for the year. If they failed to keep their resolutions then they lost favor with the Gods.

And along came the Romans. Emperor Julius Caesar began altering the calendar and aligned with our modern day January 1 as being the first day of the new year.

According to an article on the History Channel, “Named for Janus, the two-faced god whose spirit inhabited doorways and arches, January had special significance for the Romans. Believing that Janus symbolically looked backwards into the previous year and ahead into the future, the Romans offered sacrifices to the deity and made promises of good conduct for the coming year.”

Even early Christians practiced looking back at one’s mistakes and asking for the forgiveness of sins as renewing New Year’s tradition. Then in 1740, the founder of the Methodist Church, John Wesley, created the Covenant Renewal Service, most commonly held on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. The services are traditionally held at night and involve scripture readings, praying and making resolutions for the coming year.

Current data suggest about 45 percent of people make New Year’s resolutions, but only about eight percent stick to them for a full year.

As a human race we collectively have about 4,000 years of practice at making New Year’s resolutions, you’d think we’d have learned how to get better at keeping them.

So what will be your resolution this year? Will you be one of the few to beat the odds?