New Year's Day.
In the pre-Christian era it was celebrated with great solemnity both by the Jews, who reckoned the year from the Feast of the New Moon at the end of Sept., and in the pagan empire. Acc. to the Julian Calendar, the Roman year began on 1 Jan., and the day was marked by the ‘Saturnalia’. Christians were not only forbidden to participate in these festivities, but even had special fasts and Masses of expiation on the day, facts attested by the Second Council of Tours (... ...
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