Jan 1, 2018 @ 08:06 AM 8,510
Why Did Early Christians And Pagans Fight Over New Year's Day?
Sarah Bond , Contributor
Romans looked forward to the free food and games that occurred at annual New Year's celebrations, but early Christian clerics were not as keen on the revelries. Long before the so-called "war on Christmas," there was the war on New Year's Day.
Pascal Radigue (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The Romans called January 1st the Kalends of January. It was termed the Kalendae in Latin or Καλάνδαι in Greek, and was placed on public calendars called fasti. The Kalends is what gives us the modern word "calendar." The Kalendae Ianuariae was a time of particular hope and anticipation for the coming year. It was filled with celebrations and religious rites that focused on the health of individual Romans and of the state.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/drsarahbond/2018/01/01/why-did-early-christians-and-pagans-fight-over-new-years-day/#6655ccff2d64
