Did You Ever Wonder... about the relationship with the church and New Year’s Day?

Some congregations do indeed serve Pork and Sauerkraut on New Year's Day, but in the early church, it wasn't so easy. 

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 "war on Christmas," there was the war on New Year's Day. 

The non-Christian Romans called January 1st the Kalends of January. 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.

Romans literally got off on the right foot by leading with their right leg as they entered temples, houses and other doorways on this and many other days. One's right foot was considered far more auspicious than their sinister foot (left foot), and one always wanted to begin auspiciously in a new year. 

Following the victory of Constantine at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 CE, Christianity was made the religion of the day and then encouraged by the emperor until his death in 337. With the Roman emperor as its visible patron, the relatively small religion grew mightily over the next few decades. In turn, Christian clerics also became more powerful figures within Roman cities as more people converted. And yet New Year's remained a time for pagan religions. 

As Christian influence grew even more, the Christian priests decided to replace a New Year's celebration with another one.  Thus, they introduced the Festival of Christ's Circumcision (I am not kidding), which was supposed to be the celebration on January 1.  To celebrate Kalends, or New Year, was to align oneself with the pagan religions, so this was very much discouraged, and in some cases, outlawed. 

Regardless, smaller New Year's celebrations continued.  It never really went away.  It finally got to the point where now, we celebrate Christian holidays and New Year's as well.  And thankfully, your pastor doesn't have to preach about Jesus' circumcision.