this post was submitted on 31 Dec 2025
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I was going to point out that if it isn't, in fact, the winter solstice, then it is arbitrary.
But I decided to start the new year without the pretentiousness and pedantic proclamations
Shit, if we all do that, it's gonna be real quiet around here.
We'll just enjoy the silence.
♪All I ever wanted. All I ever needed. Is Here. In my arms. Words are very unnecessary, They can only do harm.
There's always room for more humble brags
Actually this is a fair point. What counts as arbitrary? For me the slight drift is just due to the way calendars and culture works, and while it is more arbitrary than having it on the solstice. It is less arbitrary than having it on your(anyone who happens to read this) birthday. It's ultimately a matter of where you draw the baseline. Even if new year was on the winter solstice you could still argue that it's arbitrary because there are four others. Arbitrarity is relative.
The UTC is completely 100% arbitrary. The only reason it's there is because an observatory happened to be on a specific hill, and then it drifted a bit (like most human things do), but the UTC/GMT has since it's conception been completely arbitrary measurement. There isn't a way to define a 0 latitude on a rotating sphere without making it an arbitrary point.
That's not true though. The date is significant and not arbitrary, it's just not the winter solstice (anymore).
Actually, there is no such thing as a 'winter solstice.' The start of the Northern winter is the start of the Southern summer.
Sure. But none of that makes New Years Day arbitrary by virtue of it not being, in fact, the winter solstice.
If you use the equinoxes or the solstices you're still being arbitrary because there are two of each.
January 4 is the day of the year that the Earth is closest to the Sun [perihelion] That would be a good date, but there will be those who argue for stating the year when Earth is furthest away.
Okay, but why would that mean that New Years Day not being the winter solstice makes it arbitrary to celebrate on Jan 1?
It's arbitrary because there's no moment that is the obvious beginning of the cycle.
That's the very definition of 'arbitrary'
That moment is the moment the Julian calendar restarts. It's not arbitrary at all, and certainly not made so by virtue of it not being the/a winter solstice (your original statement).