Worldwide · federal
January 1 — the start of the Gregorian year.
2026: January 1, 2026 · 2027: January 1, 2027
January is named for Janus, the Roman god of doorways, who is drawn with two faces: one looking back and one looking forward. The Gregorian calendar fixed January 1 as the start of the year in 1582; Britain and its colonies did not adopt it until 1752, so there are American records where the year changes in March.
Most of the world starts its year here, but not all of it — Lunar New Year, Rosh Hashanah, Nowruz and Diwali all begin years too. A calendar is a choice somebody made.
What a family can actually do
Write one sentence about the year behind and one about the year ahead. Seal them. Open them next January.
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