As the Julian calendar came into use in 45 B.C., New Year's Day was celebrated on January 1 for the first time in history. Julius Caesar, soon after becoming Roman dictator, felt that the old Roman calendar needed to be changed. So he created a new year based on the solar year instead of the lunar year. Nowadays, most countries around the world celebrate New Year's Day on or near January 1st. But before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, New Year's Day was always during a different month. Since January was the first month of the new year in the ancient Roman and Hebrew calendars, it is not surprising that New Year's Day occurred then too. So even though January was considered the first month of the new year, it wasn't until that date that it actually became New Year's Day. For example, in Julian calendar years beginning with DIVI JOVIANUS (the name of two emperors), February was the first month of the year. New Year's Day fell on a different day each year because the calendar changed when the seasons did. If you want to know what day it is today, check the Calendar section on our website.