Carp, crowns and birthdays: New Year’s Eve traditions from around the world

See which city once crowned a commoner king for the day; which country still marks the fresh start as every citizen’s birthday.

In the Mesopotamian city of Babylon, which existed c. 2000 BCE, it was customary to start the new year by crowning a commoner “king for a day”, after which he was sacrificed to the gods. (Incidentally, Babylon was a rare, early civilisation with a fixed, 12-month calendar, though I’m fairly certain that’s not the detail on your mind right now.)

One year, this lot fell to Enlil-bani, the king’s gardener, who was duly crowned. Later in the day, the real