For the first day of the Chinese New Year, we’re showing the southern fortification of the Xi"an City Wall as it was decorated and lit up for last year"s lunar new year party. The south gate was rebuilt in 2014 and is often used to stage the fireworks show that rings in the Chinese New Year, which falls between late January and early February. Why a different new year celebration date? It comes down to the sun versus the moon: While the widely used Gregorian calendar is based on the Earth"s rotation around the sun, the lunar calendar is marked by the phases of the moon. So, the Gregorian new year always falls on January 1, while the lunar new year date moves around from year to year. Either way, we"re excited to have another excuse to throw a party.
Happy New Year! (Again!)
Today in History
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Goðafoss waterfall, Iceland
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Green sea turtle on World Oceans Day
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The Old City of Bern
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World Penguin Day
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Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act marks 42 years
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Is that a smile?
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Giants of the avian world
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A tale of almonds and bees
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Happy Halloween!
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China s colorful terraced pools
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Wake up, it s Darwin Day
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National Park Week: Canyonlands National Park, Utah
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Tennis in the park
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Loud waters
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Polar bear capital of the world
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Great Backyard Bird Count
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The smoke before the bonfire
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Stuben am Arlberg, Austria
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The power of the forest
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Digging the birds
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Let s crack the code
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Leaves of Grass
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Take the Stairs Day
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Happy Easter from the ‘peeps’ at Bing
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Behold the mighty Aldeyjarfoss
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Honoring our veterans
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Celebrating Panama s independence
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Celebrating National Park Week, April 21-29
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Looking back on 150 years of rail travel
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Star Wars Day