Narrowboat Holiday Blog

New Year, New Boating Resolutions

The New Year is a brilliant time to set new resolutions. But let’s face it, life is continually full of goals – things to do, places to be, constant demands from friends and family alike.

It’s no wonder those good intentions tend to frizzle out not long after the champagne cork has been popped.

That’s why we here at Black Prince Holidays our simple New Year’s resolution to encourage everyone to allow time to recharge themselves.

The power of the waterways is an obvious choice for a place to go to chill out.  Experience the peacefulness of the surroundings, the rustlings of wildlife, the community spirit.  Take time out to take the dog for a walk, sup a drink at a canal side pub or hire a canal boat for a relaxing break.

Don’t forget that resolving to do too much can lead to you missing out on what’s most important – ‘you time’.

The History of Resolutions

Making new resolutions dates back thousands of years  – we remain an optimistic race! The first are attributed to ancient Babylon, back in 2000 BC. The Babylonians are said to have started the tradition during Akitu, a 12-day New Year celebration.

During the Akitu festival, the ancient Babylonians would plant crops, crown a new king (or pledge their loyalty to the reigning king), and make promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any borrowed items. They believed that if they kept their word, the gods would look favourably on them for the year ahead. If the Babylonians broke their promises, they would fall on the bad side of their gods.

Move forward to the Romans and they began each year by making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. In the medieval era, knights across Europe took the “peacock vow” at the end of the Christmas season each year to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry.

New Year’s resolutions appear to be more common in Britain by the 17th century. In 1671, New Year’s Scottish writer Anne Halkett wrote a diary entry that contained several pledges such as “I will not offend anymore”. Anne wrote the entry on January 2nd and titled the page “Resolutions”.

Today’s resolutions are often health focused, driven probably by over indulging over Christmas! Sadly  research shows that 80% of people break their resolutions by the first week of February and only 8% are successful in achieving their goals at all.

What are we doing wrong?!

The explanation seems to be creating unrealistic goals. So, how about just the one. Make a pledge to spend some quality time with family and friends and clear the mind on a narrowboat holiday in the UK!

We look forward to welcoming you on the waterways soon!