The New Year 2020 kicks off in less than three weeks when the clocks strike midnight on December 31 into January 1. Wild celebrations all around the globe will wave goodbye to 2019 and raise a cheer to a new and prosperous year. But there appears to be some confusion over whether or not the arrival of the new year also marks the arrival of a new decade.
Thousands of people across social media platforms are already celebrating the prospect of entering a new decade next year.
Twitter user Hana Zine said: “A new year and a new decade is upon us, there’s no goal but to get ourselves out there and be heard.
“This was a great year for everyone creatively, but should we really stay comfortable with where were are?”
Another person on Twitter said: “Not only are we starting a new year, but rather a new decade, leave your baggage in 2019, forgive this you need to forgive, cut off relationships that do not benefit you.
“Leave it. Enter 2020 with clear vision of what your purpose in life is.”
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Is 2020 the start of a new decade? When does a new decade start?
Unfortunately, due to a small technicality, the new decade will not officially start until January 1, 2021.
A decade is defined as a period of 10 years and in this case, it would make sense to call 2020 the start of a new decade.
But the Gregorian Calendar adopted by the western world did not start with a year 0, slightly complicating matters for those who want to celebrate 2020 more intensely than usual.
According to the Farmers’ Almanac for the year 2020, the start and end dates of new decades are a hotly debated topic.
The Almanac said: “Think of going into a building in which the ground floor is listed not as the first floor, but as the lobby. So the first floor is actually one flight above you.
That doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the arrival of 2020
Farmers’ Almanac
“So if you were to go into an elevator located in the lobby and wanted to go 10 flights up, you would actually end up on the night floor – if you were to assume that the lobby is the ‘zero’ floor.
“In essence, on our calendars, 2021 is the equivalent of a ‘first-floor lobby’ and after going up the flights – or years – we’ll arrive at the tenth floor. Or in this case, the year 2030 – when that decade ends.
“So while it may not be the end of the decade, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the arrival of 2020.”
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The topic similarly caused widespread confusion 10 years ago on the eve of the year 2000.
Many people on December 31, 1999, expected to welcome the new decade at midnight but were surprised to learn the new decade did not start until 2001.
At the same time, the start of the new year in 2000 did not mark the arrival of the 21st century – 2001 did.
The calendar-based conundrum was even addressed on the US sitcom Seinfeld by comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
In an episode dubbed The Millennium, the comedian noted a party hosted by his neighbour to celebrate the new millennium was correctly booked for December 31, 2000, and not December 31, 1999, making it “one year late” compared to everyone else.
The Farmers’ Almanac said: “As you think about New Year’s resolutions, here’s one we should all make together: resolve to insist that decades begin with the year ending in the numeral one and finish with a zero.
“For a decade to begin, we must start with the year ending with one – 2021 – and finish with 10, or so far as chronology is concerned, a year ending in zero – 2030.
“For example, January 1, 2001, opened the 21st century and the start of the new millennium, just as the year 1 AD marked the beginning of the Christian era.
“Of course, many of us will remember the wild celebrations that were touched off at midnight on December 31, 1999. But was that a year too soon? Yes.”
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