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You are here: Home / Language / How Did New Year’s Resolutions Originate and Where Did the Tradition Come From?

How Did New Year’s Resolutions Originate and Where Did the Tradition Come From?

March 20, 2020 by Karen Hill

In medieval times, during the last feast of the Christmas week, knights of the realm were required to place their hands on a peacock and vow to continue living up to their pledge of chivalry.

This was known as the knight’s “peacock vow.”

The New Year’s custom of resolving to live a better life originated with the Babylonians, who promised the gods that they would return all borrowed farm and cooking tools and pay off personal debts.

And that was the beginning of New Year’s resolutions.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « When Was the New Year First Celebrated With a Feast of Food and Alcohol and How Did it Originate?
Next Post: How Did the Expression “Roman Holiday” Originate and Where Did the Term Come From? »

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