Fireworks over Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada Dec 31, 2024

Fireworks over Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada

New Year"s Eve, also known as Old Year"s Day, is celebrated around the world with revelry, fireworks and for some, religious and cultural observances. Many countries celebrate with foods symbolic of prosperity, long life and good fortune for the coming year, and many people sing Scottish folk song "Auld Lang Syne" at the stroke of midnight to remember old friends and past experiences. The new year is often personified as a baby, a tradition that dates back to ancient Greeks, often paired with an old man who represents the previous year.

© naibank/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Dec 31, 2023Phra Nakhon Khiri, Thailand
Dec 31, 2025Oberbaum Bridge, Berlin, Germany

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec 9, 2023Guanacos, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
Mar 7, 2026Snowy owl near the Canadian Rockies
Aug 16, 2026Pedra Furada, Jericoacoara, Brazil
Nov 13, 2023Serra de Tramuntana, Balearic Islands, Majorca, Spain
Dec 13, 2025Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California, United States
Nov 1, 2023Haut-Barr Castle, Vosges, France
Apr 11, 2024Dragon waterfall, Venezuela
Dec 16, 2025Medieval Aqueduct, Perugia, Italy
May 9, 2026Skradinski Buk Waterfall, Krka National Park, Croatia
Apr 28, 2026Spectacled bear resting in tree, Ecuador
Oct 27, 2025Thick-billed raven
Jun 4, 2024Chestnut-headed bee-eaters
Jan 4, 2026Kings Mountain, Chugach Mountains, Alaska, United States
Jan 24, 2025Strokkur geyser in Iceland
Apr 8, 2026Seattle, Washington, United States
Feb 21, 2024Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California, USA
July 18, 2026Devils Bridge, Kromlau, Saxony, Germany
Oct 14, 2024Coco Beach, Goa, India
May 8, 2024Château dIf, Marseille, France
Jan 13, 2026Vale of Clwyd, Wales
Dec 20, 2023Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Dolomites, Italy
June 4, 2026Snowy egret preening, central Florida, United States
June 17, 2026Tremola Road on the Saint Gotthard Pass in Airolo, Switzerland
Jan 7, 2024Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, Australia
Jul 4, 2024Zahara de la Sierra, Andalusia, Spain
Mar 9, 2025St Marks Clock Tower, Venice, Italy
Feb 7, 2025Blue hour in Trondheim, Norway
Apr 10, 2025Red fox cubs near their den
Jan 6, 2026Nuuk, Greenland
Jan 9, 2026Muir Woods National Monument, California, United States