The oldest recorded new year festivities date back to 2000 B.C. in ancient Mesopotamia, where Iraq is now. Called akitu, the festival, which could last for up to 12 days, started on the day of the ...

The 304-day calendar year began in March (Martius), named after the Roman god Mars. It continued until December, which was harvest time in temperate Rome. The Romans linked each year to the date ...

But the modern Leap Day as we know it traces its roots back to ancient Rome. Romulus, the first king of Rome, established the Roman Republican calendar around 738 B.C., decreeing that a year began ...