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.
Happy New Year!
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Willamette National Forest, Oregon
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Skipper butterfly on an Echinacea flower
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Go hug a mountain, if you can
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A young bull moose, Denali National Park, Alaska, United States
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Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia
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Jeju Island, South Korea
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An ocean of stars above the desert
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A destination for all seasons
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Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Is anybody home?
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Perseid meteor shower over Nevada
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World Octopus Day
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Northern hawk-owl
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Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence
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Groundhog Day
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Great Backyard Bird Count
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Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
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New Years Eve
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Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Dolomites, Italy
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A glimpse of the grandest of canyons
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Koala sleeping in a eucalyptus tree, Australia
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Poinsettia Day
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Ancient town of Sorano, Tuscany, Italy
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Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho, USA
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Lets protect our turtles
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Río Negro, Amazon basin, Brazil
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Lake Tyrrell, Victoria, Australia
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An oasis in a sea of sand
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Madame Sherri Forest, New Hampshire, United States
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World Penguin Day
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