> [!Info] Source > [[Western New Year begins in the middle of winter via AskHistorians]] - Even classical Romans didn't really know why their calendar started in January, although based on the early names there's speculation that it originally began in March. - January is the "middle of Winter" in terms of seasonal feel, but it's actually very close to the _solstice,_ which is easier to gauge than the weather because "when does the sun rise" and "where are the stars" tend to be more consistent. The winter solstice tends to be easier to notice than the spring equinox, which may be one reason that calendar years often "start" in winter, not spring (although Europe's started in spring for awhile, and as above, maybe Rome's did too)