Happy New Year! Jan 1, 2025

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year"s Day! Humans have celebrated the new year since at least 2000 BCE, but various cultures have chosen different days coinciding with equinoxes or lunar cycles. The Romans established January 1 as the beginning of the year in 153 BCE, but this fell out of favour throughout Europe during the medieval era. Since 1582 and the widespread adoption of the Gregorian calendar, however, much of the world now celebrates the new year today. In addition to watching fireworks, drinking champagne and making resolutions in the wee hours of the morning, other global traditions include making noise, eating lucky foods and giving gifts.

© Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock

palette

Today in History

Napping near the North Pole
Jan 1, 2024Happy New Year!
Jan 1, 2026Happy New Year!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec 25, 2025Merry Christmas!
Feb 9, 2026Amur leopard cat, Russia
The ‘Old Bridge,’ reborn
Jun 19, 2024Reticulated giraffe mother greeting calf in Kenya
Feb 22, 2024Bathing boxes at Brighton Beach, Australia
Oct 3, 2024Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Jul 14, 2024Shark Awareness Day
Jan 13, 2026Hen Galan
Sep 16, 2023Splügen Pass, Switzerland
Feb 11, 2025Yungang Grottoes, Datong, China
More of a moustache than a beard?
Oct 6, 2023Taughannock Falls State Park, New York
Mar 10, 2024Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India
Night outside the museum
On the open ocean road
Jan 16, 2024Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Jan 25, 2025Porto, Portugal
Stripes in sight
Back to the future
Oct 13, 2024Royal Alcázar of Seville, Spain
Jun 22, 2025World Rainforest Day
Mar 18, 2026Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon, United States
Where is this historical bridge?
Jun 6, 2026Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi, United States
Dec 11, 2023Huangshan Mountains, China
Oct 31, 2024Happy Diwali!
Aug 16, 2025Colourful beehives, Italy
Sep 11, 2024Swaminarayan Akshardham, Delhi
Aug 20, 2023Start Point Lighthouse, South Devon, England
‘Moravian Tuscany’