Seasons by the Sea: Good Year, Good Health  Jennifer Landes  
Do you think of New Year’s Eve as a time to reflect on the past
year, make resolutions to improve your life and the lives of
others, or as an excuse to be as debauched as possible, drink
too much, stay up late, and make a fool of yourself? Yeah, me
too.     New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are the most
celebrated holidays throughout the world. How and when did they
begin? The earliest recorded festivities in honor of a the
arrival of a new year date back 4,000 years to ancient Babylon.
It was originally celebrated in late March, on the first new
moon of the vernal equinox. This was the day that had an equal
amount of sunlight and darkness. Civilizations around the world
developed increasingly sophisticated calendars, usually pinning
the first day of the year to an agricultural or astronomical
event.     The early Roman calendar, created by Romulus, founder
of Rome, consisted of 10 months or 304 days. A later king, Numa
Pompilius, is credited wi