Gregorian New Year's Day (January 1st) • the Open Siddur Project ✍ פְּרוֺיֶקְט הַסִּדּוּר הַפָּתוּחַ

This is an archive of prayers composed for, or relevant to, New Year’s Day in the Gregorian calendar (a/k/a the Kalends of January, or January 1st).
Rabbinic lore (Yerushalmi Avodah Zarah 1:2 39c, and elsewhere) relates two origin stories explaining how the names “Ḳalends” and “January” are associated with this day. In one tradition, Ḳalends was first observed by Adam ha-Rishon. “Rav said, ‘Ḳalends—the First Man (Adam) established it…when he saw that the day was lengthening [after the Winter Solstice], he said ‘Ḳalendes!’—kalon deo (or calo diem).’”
In a parallel tradition, “January” is a reference to a Roman general, as summarized by Alyssa M. Gray in A Talmud in Exile: The Influence of Yerushalmi Avodah Zarah on the Formation of Bavli (2020), p. 124:
Rebbi Yoḥanan explains the origins of Kalends as resulting from the contest between the Egyptian general and the Roman general Yanobris (=Januarius), who agrees to kill himself so that Rome can attain world mastery. Yanobris’ sacrifice prompted the cry “Qalendas Yanobris!” and the day of mourning on the second day of Kalends, which Yerushalmi Avodah Zarah notes is known as the “black day” (Greek: µelani ’imera). The Romans considered the “black day” unlucky for warfare, and in Yerushalmi Avodah Zarah R’ Yudan Antodria observes that lentils planted on that day will not flourish. This particularly Roman cultural and religious allusion is missing from Bavli Avodah Zarah.
☞ If you have composed a prayer for 1 January, please share it.
Looking for something else?
For prayers offered composed for, or relevant to, the Rosh haShanah la-Melakhim (the New Year’s Day of Kings) in the spring season in the northern hemisphere, go here.

Opening Prayer on the Significance of New Year’s Day, by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, J. Paul Williams, and Eugene Kohn (1951)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription), Eugene Kohn, John Paul Williams and Mordecai Kaplan

This opening prayer for New Year’s Day, “The Significance of the Day,” was first published in The Faith of America: Readings, Songs, and Prayers for the Celebration of American Holidays (Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation 1951), p. 3-4 — as preface to a number of readings selected by Mordecai Kaplan, Eugene Kohn, and J. Paul Williams for the day. . . .

Closing Prayer for New Year’s Day, adapted by Mordecai Kaplan & Eugene Kohn from a prayer by Members of the Faculty of the Colgate Divinity School (1947)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription), Eugene Kohn, John Paul Williams, Mordecai Kaplan and Members of the Faculty of Colgate-Rochester Divinity School

This “Closing Prayer” for New Year’s Day was adapted by Mordecai Kaplan and Eugene Kohn from a prayer first published by unnamed “Members of the Faculty” of the Colgate-Rochester Divinity School (The Colgate-Rochester Divinity School Bulletin, “Prayers for the New Year,” vol. 19 no. 2 (1947), pp. 65-71). Kaplan & Kohn’s adapted prayer essentially contains excerpts from the prayer of the Faculty (excluding any with explicit Christian content). The adapted prayer was published in The Faith of America: Readings, Songs, and Prayers for the Celebration of American Holidays (Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation 1951), p. 25-26. –Aharon Varady . . .

[Prayer for] Saturday night [on New Year’s Eve], by Grace Aguilar (31 December 1836)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription) and Grace Aguilar

“Saturday night, Dec. 31, 1836” by Grace Aguilar was published posthumously by her mother Sarah Aguilar in Essays and Miscellanies (1853), in the section “Sacred Communings,” pp. 196-199. In the UK edition of Sacred Communings (1853) the prayer appears with small variations of spelling and punctuation on pages 112-115. . . .

📄 מִדְרָשִׁים עַל אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן וּתְקוּפַת הַחֹרֶף | Midrashim on the Origin of the Winter Solstice and Kalends Festivals by Primaeval Adam

Contributor(s):

Devora Steinmetz and Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)

A sourcesheet shared by Dr. Devora Steinmetz to accompany a shiur on the Winter Solstice in Jewish thought. . . .

Stable Link: https://opensiddur.org/index.php?cat=4632

Associated Image:

"Januarius" - Sefer Evronot - p. 144 (Pinchas ben Avraham Halevi 1716)

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17