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:

Mar. 14, 2024Happy Pi Day!
A triumphant pose
Sep. 5, 20242024 Toronto International Film Festival
May 28, 2025World Otter Day
Sep. 18, 2025Dunquin Pier, County Kerry, Ireland
Where history comes alive
Apr. 20, 2024Grand Prismatic Spring at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Winter wonderland for your wallet
Feb. 5, 2024Monarch butterflies, Goleta, California
The sun sets on the Valley of the Moon
Dec. 29, 2023Oud-West neighbourhood, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nov. 6, 2023Lago Pehoé, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Jul. 24, 2024Cousins Day
Nov. 18, 2025Male hooded merganser, Oregon, United States
As curious about you as you are about them
Apr. 12, 2025International Day of Human Space Flight
Nov. 9, 2024Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
A rainbow that’s worth the rainfall
Out of this world
Nov. 17, 2023Copper Falls State Park, Wisconsin
What are these predators doing?
Oct. 9, 2025Space Week isnt over yet!
Nov. 10, 2025Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States
Small but mighty
Jan. 3, 2025Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!
A ghost on the mountain
Feb. 24, 2025Giant cuttlefish, Whyalla, South Australia, Australia
Sep. 21, 2023International Day of Peace
Mar. 11, 2024Koala sleeping in a eucalyptus tree, Australia
Nov. 11, 2023Young Peak, British Columbia