New Years Resolutions are a very common tradition amongst many today. However, this tradition has been around for a long time, in fact the earliest recorded tradition of setting a goal for the new year was found to be about 4,000 years ago. This tradition was started by the Babylonians. The Babylonians were also one of the first groups to have celebrations to celebrate the New Year. For the Babylonians the New Year began in March because this is when they planted new crops. The reason for these traditions began because they believed that if they were able to keep their promises for the New Year, the Gods would smile upon them, and they would be repaid with good fortune. Their resolutions often would be centered around religion and mythology.
Nowadays, resolutions usually come from people trying to better themselves, so their goals will often involve eating healthier or becoming more active. Let’s look at the New Years Resolutions of students in 2024 at Hidden Valley High School. First, we talked to Ms. Oakes (Earth Science Teacher). Ms. Oakes stated that her two main resolutions for the New Year are “to start working out again and to read the bible more.” When asked if she’s usually successful with her goals, she said that she’s usually pretty good about it as long as they’re small goals. This year she’s started reading the bible more but hasn’t started working out again, “Jesus before me” she joked. We also talked to Drew Brislin (11) who said his goal for the New Year is to “do well in school.” He said that this goal was inspired by himself. Overall, it seems most of the goals at Hidden Valley High School are centered around bettering oneself.