January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian calendar. It has 31 days. January marks midwinter in the Northern Hemisphere, midsummer in the Southern Hemisphere. January 1, New Year's Day, is a time of feasting and celebration.
January has not always been considered the beginning of the year. From the 6th to the 16th century, Christians observed the Annunciation Day in March as the first day of the year. In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII revised the calendar and made January the first month of the church year. Since Protestants rejected all papal authority, non-Catholic nations generally ignored the Gregorian calendar until well into the 18th century. England did not celebrate the New Year in January until 1752.
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