New Year’s Day 2027

New Year's Day marks the start of the year in the Gregorian calendar, the civil calendar used by most of the world. Celebrations begin the night before, on New Year's Eve, and reach their peak at the stroke of midnight, when cities light up the sky with fireworks and people greet one another with wishes for the year ahead.

Because time zones roll across the planet, the new year arrives first in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati and last in American Samoa and the uninhabited Baker and Howland islands — so the world celebrates for about a day as midnight moves west.

Marking a new year is one of humanity's oldest customs. In ancient Mesopotamia the new year was celebrated around the spring equinox. The Romans originally began their year in March, but in 46 BC Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar, which fixed January 1 as the start of the civil year — a month named after Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings who looks both back and forward.

During the Middle Ages many European regions moved the start of the year to dates with religious meaning, such as March 25. The Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, restored January 1, and it was gradually adopted across the world over the following centuries.

New Year's Day is a shared moment of renewal. Across cultures it is a time to look back on the past year, reconnect with family and friends, and set intentions for the months ahead. For many people it is also a public holiday — a rare day when much of the world pauses at the same time.