At this time of year, an Old Testament definition verse becomes significant to true Christians: Exodus 12:2, where God instructs Moses on the institution of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread among the Israelites in Egypt. Since these festivals are appointed times to be kept annually, He provides Israel with a calendar, establishing a starting point for the year. In that verse, He declares simply, This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. The first month, later identified as Abib in Exodus 13:4, coincides with the beginning of spring, tied to the ripening of barley into tender, green ears. Later named Nisan during the Babylonian exile, this month's start was initially determined by observing the new moon alongside the barley's growth stage. If the barley would ripen by the next new moon, that moon began Abib; if not, it was delayed by one month. Over time, a precise system of calculation based on astronomical data emerged to predict the new moon's appearance, verified by visual sightings and sanctified by the high priest for determining God's appointed times. The Bible also contains indications that the new moon of Tishri, the seventh month, coinciding with autumn, may have functioned as a New Year. For instance, Ezekiel 40:1 mentions the head of the year in connection with a date identified as the tenth day of Tishri, the Day of Atonement. Additionally, Exodus 23:16 and 34:22 place the Feast of Ingathering, or Tabernacles, at the end or turn of the year, and II Samuel 11:1 refers to spring as the return of the year. However, these indications of a Tishri 1 New Year can be disputed. The month in Ezekiel 40:1 is not named, and the prophet consistently uses a Babylonian spring New Year reckoning, suggesting head of the year refers to Abib. The end of the year references for Tabernacles relate to the agricultural cycle, not a calendar shift, and spring as the return of the year aligns with a new beginning. While surrounding cultures may have used Tishri 1 as their New Year, Israel adhered to an Abib 1 New Year based on the clear statement by God in Exodus 12:2. Grounded in this springtime first month as commanded, the biblical hints of a Tishri 1 New Year become explainable and less compelling, revealing a January 1 New Year's Day to be entirely erroneous.

The New Year, as understood biblically, begins in early spring, with the Hebrew term 'abib' meaning spring, typically falling in mid-to-late March or early April. God notes this time but does not elaborate beyond its function as a calendar marker. Two weeks following the start of the year, significant observances such as Passover on the fourteenth day and the Feast of Unleavened Bread from the fifteenth through the twenty-first days take place as festival times. God mentions the New Year merely in passing, indicating its importance solely for calendar purposes, without any instruction to celebrate with parties, countdowns, or other modern customs.