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 favor 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.
Happy New Year!
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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A midsummer twilight s dream
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Peña Roya beech forest, Moncayo Natural Park, Aragon, Spain
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Celebrating sea otters
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The Aomori Nebuta Festival parade, Japan
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Gazing upon Portraits of Change
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An Alpine fairy-tale castle
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Cherry blossoms spring to life
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Twosday
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It s fair season
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A polar bear near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
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Quiver trees in Namibia
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The story of a rediscovered redwood
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Great Backyard Bird Count
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Diving into the underwater nirvana
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The crossroads of empires
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Nha Phu Bay, Nha Trang, Vietnam
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Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles, Bavaria, Germany
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Least chipmunk, Kootenai National Forest, Montana
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Baltic Sea, Estonia
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World Rainforest Day
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National Park Service Founders Day
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Heron lies the Salton Sea
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An inland ocean
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Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
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A unique perspective from Italy’s ‘golden sands’
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A holiday beacon of light
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World Childrens Day
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Seventeen arches at sunset
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Square Tower House in Mesa Verde National Park
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New beginnings
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

