New Year — Happy

: The earliest recorded New Year's celebrations occurred about 4,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). They celebrated at the spring equinox in March, a time of natural renewal and agricultural planting.

Across the globe, the greeting is accompanied by rituals meant to attract luck, health, and prosperity: Happy New Year? - Mass.gov Happy New Year

: In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII re-established January 1st as New Year's Day to correct inaccuracies in the Julian calendar, a change that was gradually adopted worldwide. Cultural Traditions and Symbolic Rituals : The earliest recorded New Year's celebrations occurred