Sioux City Register

Age of our 'New Year's Day,'

A writer in the National Intelligencer brings to light a curious fact, viz: that we do not celebrate New Year's on the day our fathers, or at least our great grandfathers, did. He says:

A little more than a century ago that festival fell on the 25th of March throughout the British dominions. The alteration was made in the 24th year of the reign of George II., which will appear by the following extracts of the act of parliament, entitled, "An act regulating the commencement of the year, and for correcting the calendar now in use:"

Preamble—Whereas the legal computation of the year of our Lord—according to which the year beginneth on the 25th day of March—had been found by experience to be attended with divers inconveniences etc.

Enactments—That throughout his majesty's dominions in Europe, Asia, Africa and America, the supputation according to which the year of our Lord beginneth on the 25th day of March, shall not be made use of from and after the last day of December, 1751: and that the first day of January next following the said last day of December, shall be reckoned, taken, deemed, and accounted to be the first day of the year of our Lord, 1752, and so on from time to time. The first day of January in every year which shall happen in time to come, shall be deemed and reckoned the first day of the year, etc.

The act also further corrects the then existing calendar, thus:

And that the natural day next immediately following the 2nd day of September shall be called and accounted to be the 14th of September, omitting for that time the intermediate nominal days of the common calendar.