If years are based on the birth of Christ (BC-Before Christ and AD-Anno Domini), then why isn't New Years Day on Christmas?

banddork85

First thing-Jesus wasn't born on Christmas and Christmas wasn't celebrated until several years after Christ's death. It was created to cover up a pagan holiday by the Catholics (Christ's Mass). "Anno Domini" means "in the year of our Lord." The year Christ was born was 0. That's why the new millennium didn't start until 2001 instead of 2000. Feb 06 07, 8:43 PM

Arpeggionist

No, there was no year 0. The year attributed to Jesus' birth (which probably wasn't actually the year he was born either) was year 1 - that's why the new millenium didn't start until 2001. Feb 07 07, 2:37 AM

TabbyTom

The calendar we use in the west is Roman in origin, and the Roman year (from 153 BC onwards at least) began on the Kalends (1st) of January. Over the centuries, different nations have used all kinds of days as the start of the year. In England, for several centuries until 1752, the civil year began on March 25 (Lady Day). According to “The Oxford Companion to the Year”, Christmas Day was treated as the beginning of the year in England before the Norman conquest, and at various times in the Holy Roman Empire and in medieval Benedictine monasteries. The original Roman new year was retained in some places and was “disapproved but never suppressed by the Church, becoming increasingly frequent from the 13th century under the influence of Roman law and subsequently humanism.” Feb 07 07, 11:37 AM

cv97931822

This just tags onto one of the other postings, but Christmas day wasn't actually set as a specific date on the calendar by the Church for a couple/few hundred years after it was being celebrated, either, so there was already a disconnect between Christmas and when the year began. Supposedly, prior to being set in December (I want to say 400s, but I am probably confusing that with something else), it was often celebrated in the Spring. Will Durant writes about this at some point in Cesar and Christ (1944, Vol III in his Story of Civilization series) if you want to track it down. Feb 07 07, 12:19 PM