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.

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Today in History

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

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov. 4, 2025Tower Bridge, London, England
Rising with the sun
Oct. 11, 2024Celtic Colours International Festival
May 20, 2025World Bee Day
Napping near the North Pole
Jan. 13, 2025Happy Welsh New Year!
Dec. 11, 2024International Mountain Day
Dec. 7, 2024Lake Ontario, Toronto, during winter
Oct. 25, 2023Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
Sharks, just living their lives
Aug. 31, 2025Scotts Bluff National Monument, Gering, Nebraska, United States
A bevy of buzzers
May 29, 2025Miravet, Catalonia, Spain
Jul. 19, 2024A young jaguar on a riverbank, Pantanal, Brazil
Freshwater diving capital
Jun. 20, 2025Summer solstice
Stars in daylight
Nimble and stealthy
Blurring the lines with wearable art
Mar. 18, 2025Red Rocks, Sedona, Arizona, United States
Oct. 12, 2023Old barn and canola field, Palouse region, Idaho
Let’s have a lek, see?
An old bridge in a new light
Stop and smell the Sakura
May 24, 2025European Day of Parks
Nov. 5, 2025Peña Roya beech forest, Moncayo Natural Park, Aragon, Spain
May 28, 2025World Otter Day
Feb. 10, 2024Happy Lunar New Year!
Connecting the dots
May 17, 2024Endangered Species Day