One of the joys of living in a multi-cultural area is that I get to say “Happy New Year” at least five times a year.
From the day I entered nursery school New Year meant the start of school in September. In kid-think September is a NEW Year - new teacher, new homeroom, new desk, new rules, sometimes new classmates - maybe even a new building. I cannot think of anything more specifically “New Year” than the start of school.
December-to-January is the time to order seed catalogs if you’re a gardener or a farmer. That’s a New Year for the plants. I guess it just depends on your definition of NEW and YEAR.
In Jewish tradition New Year (currently 5766) based on a lunar calendar, begins on the first or second of the month of Tishri. In the Gregorian (solar) calendar, most widely used today, that date falls some time in September or October. Christians and the majority of secular people follow the Gregorian calendar and celebrate New Year on the first of January.
Chinese New Year (it’s 4702) is also based on a lunar calendar. New Year begins on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, which corresponds to some time in January or February in the Gregorian calendar.
Of course there is also the fiscal year, for which New Year is typically July 1. That’s five opportunities to say “Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year.”