New Years Eve in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Dec 31, 2024

New Years Eve in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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.

© Wagner Meier/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Happy New Year’s from down under
Dec 31, 2023New Years Eve!
Dec 31, 2025New Years Eve

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Urban planning never stops
Dec 27, 2023Kirkjufell, Iceland
Oct 2, 2025Gandhi Jayanti
Mar 17, 2026Happy St. Patricks Day!
Bring out the king cakes
Aug 16, 2024Roller coaster in Nagashima Spa Land, Mie Prefecture, Japan
A time-worn medieval marvel
Sep 27, 2024Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy
Jul 29, 2024International Tiger Day
Jul 4, 2025Orosei, Sardinia, Italy
Dec 17, 2024Traditional red fishermens cabins, Reine, Norway
Stealthy pollinators
Aug 5, 2024Lavender field, Hertfordshire, England
40 years of recovery
Mar 27, 2024Amber Fort, Jaipur
Apr 5, 2024The Bahamas
Can you name these pretty flowers?
May 1, 2025Maharashtra Day
A natural spotlight
A painters palette of natures hues
May 16, 2025Hawa Mahal, Jaipur, Rajasthan
Apr 10, 2026Siblings Day
A future built on the past
Nov 28, 2025Val Brandet, Brescia, Lombardy, Italy
Mar 10, 2025Lion, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
Oct 21, 2024Cypress trees in George L. Smith State Park, Georgia, United States
America’s backyard
Nov 17, 2024Red deer stag in Glen Affric, Scotland
Jun 30, 2025Asteroid Day
Jan 31, 2024Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa