As the world marks the transition from one year to the next, the festivities are often treated as mere cultural habit. However, for the student of history and scripture, the elements of New Year’s Day—from the date itself to the superstitions on the table—reveal a foundation built upon ancient idolatry and the pursuit of “luck” rather than the providence of God.
The Worship of the Two-Faced God
The selection of January 1st as the start of the year is a Roman innovation. For centuries, most of the ancient world—including the Hebrews—marked the new year in the spring. This aligned the calendar with the biblical month of Abib and the natural cycle of rebirth.
The shift occurred under Julius Caesar, who dedicated the first month to Janus, the Roman god of gates and doors. Janus was depicted with two faces, allowing him to look backward into the old year and forward into the new. To honor Janus, the Romans engaged in rowdy celebrations, exchanged gifts, and offered sacrifices to ensure the god would grant them safe passage through the “door” of the new year.
The Superstition of the Plate: Legumes and “Luck”
Perhaps no tradition is more prevalent than the consumption of specific foods to “guarantee” wealth. The most famous of these in the West is the eating of black-eyed peas.
The practice of eating legumes for luck has roots in the Babylonian Talmud, where it was recorded that certain foods should be eaten as omens. In these ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern cultures, lentils and peas were used because their round shape symbolized coins. By consuming them, the individual participated in sympathetic magic—a ritualistic attempt to manifest financial gain.
This stands in direct opposition to the biblical mandate to trust in the provision of the Almighty:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” — Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
The Babylonian Vow: The Origin of Resolutions
The “New Year’s Resolution” is frequently framed as a secular effort at self-improvement, but it began as a religious contract.
Four thousand years ago in Babylon, during the festival of Akitu, citizens made solemn oaths to their gods to return borrowed farm equipment and pay their debts. They believed that if they kept their word, their deities would bestow favor; if they failed, they would fall out of favor. The Romans continued this by making vows of good conduct to Janus.
While the modern world has stripped away the names of the ancient gods, the spirit remains the same: an attempt to achieve righteousness through a yearly works-based vow rather than a daily walking in the Spirit.
Noise, Revelry, and “Auld Lang Syne”
The tradition of loud parties and noisemakers at midnight also has a darker origin. In many ancient cultures, the transition between years was considered a time when the “veil” between the physical and spiritual worlds was thin. Loud noises were used to frighten away evil spirits or “the old year” to prevent them from entering the new cycle.
Even the singing of “Auld Lang Syne” (meaning “times long ago”) serves as a nostalgic look backward—a sentimental longing for the past that can distract from the sober reality of the present and the looking for that “blessed hope.”
A Biblical Perspective
The Bible provides its own “New Year” in Exodus 12:2, where God commanded the Israelites to mark the month of Abib (Nisan) as the beginning of months. This was a calendar centered on the Passover and the deliverance from bondage, rather than the worship of a two-faced Roman deity.
For the believer, the turning of a calendar page is an opportunity to reflect on the sovereignty of God, but we must be careful not to bring the “strange fire” of pagan superstition into our homes.
“Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain…” — Jeremiah 10:2-3 (KJV)
The true “New Beginning” is found not in the stroke of midnight on January 1st, but in the daily renewal of the inner man through the Word of God.