Overview
- The overlap with New Year’s Eve was fixed after the 16th‑century switch to the Gregorian calendar, which set January 1 as New Year’s Day.
- Silvester’s name derives from the Latin silva, meaning a person from the forest or woodland dweller.
- Popular stories credit him with healing Emperor Constantine and receiving the “Donation of Constantine,” yet historians note the Edict of Milan predated his papacy and the donation text is a later forgery.
- His pontificate coincided with major milestones in early Christianity, including the First Council of Nicaea in 325 and the rise of Rome’s early basilicas.
- German‑speaking countries commonly use the term Silvester, while Italy marks capodanno and holds year‑end services at Rome’s San Silvestro without fireworks.