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:

Mar 8, 2025Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, Germany
Dec 20, 2025Red fox
Jan 5, 2025Plum-headed parakeet
Dec 5, 2024Tufa formation on Mono Lake, California, United States
Feb 2, 2026Alpine marmots, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria
Dec 24, 2025Starling murmuration, Brighton, England
Dec 11, 2024Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Italy
Mar 5, 2024Bangkok, Thailand
Jan 20, 2026Gentoo penguin, Petermann Island, Antarctica
Aug 6, 2025Ring-tailed lemur
Aug 19, 2024Bufadero de la Garita, Gran Canaria, Spain
Sep 22, 2023Marsala salt pans, Italy
Nov 22, 2023Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
Apr 13, 2024Apple trees in spring, Germany
Feb 6, 2026Ra Gusela peak at Giau Pass, near Cortina dAmpezzo, Italy
Aug 22, 2025Rolling hills of the Palouse, Washington, United States
Mar 11, 2025Broken Beach in Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia
Feb 15, 2025Icicles of Misotsuchi, Chichibu, Japan
Sep 24, 2023Fraser River near Mount Robson, British Columbia, Canada
Aug 24, 2024Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, USA
Jan 27, 2025Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States
Oct 3, 2025Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Jan 12, 2025Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Oct 30, 2024Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy
Apr 19, 2026Mirror Beach, Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil
Jan 31, 2024Burchells zebras
Oct 22, 2023Astoria-Megler Bridge, Oregon, USA
Mar 15, 2026Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Vancouver Island, Canada
Dec 28, 2024Green sea turtle, New Caledonia
Jan 7, 2026Turret Arch the in Arches National Park, Utah, United States