Celebrating the New Year

Origins

January is named after Janus, the Roman god of doors and gateways. He was commonly depicted in statues, carvings and paintings as a two headed man with one head facing forward and the other head facing backwards. In 46BC Julius Caesar chose January 1^st as the first day of the New Year as Janus symbolically represented the door to the New Year. Wild parties and orgies were held on the night before the New Year’s Day as a re-enactment of the chaos which Roman mythology depicted as preceding the cosmos or the ordered world whose organization was set by the gods. Furthermore, by that time, Janus had become, in practice, the highest god receiving the ritual sacrifices of Roman worshippers before the other gods, including the chief god, Jupiter.[1]

The New Hijri Year and the Fasting in Muharram

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“The best fasting after Ramadaan is the month of Allaah Muharram, and the best prayer after the obligatory prayer is prayer at night.”

Narrated by Muslim, 1163.

Please see below for the following beneficial Q&A inshaAllah:

=> Ruling on offering congratulations at the beginning of the Hijri year

=>Is it advised to end the year with prayers for forgiveness and fasting?

=>The virtue of observing a lot of naafil fasts in the month of Muharram

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