Dubai: Have you ever wondered why the tradition of making New Year resolutions exists?
To find out where this practice started, one would have to travel back in history — more than 4,000 years ago.
According to Jessica Lamb-Shapiro, author of the book ‘Promise Land: My Journey Through America’s Self-Help Culture’, the resolutions at the start of a new year were first made in ancient Mesopotamia. The Babylonians made promises to their deities for the New Year, often having to do with concrete, easily achievable tasks — for instance, vowing to return borrowed farm equipment.
According to the History channel, a US-based network, these promises were made in order to earn divine favour and have a blessed start to the year.
Rome too had a share in creating the culture of what, today, we call New Year resolutions. Julius Caesar partly created the tradition to honour the deity after whom the month of January was named: Janus.
US-based writer Howard Bennett says the tradition back then largely involved making simple, moral resolutions like being kind to others.
