Welcome to the Year of the Pig Feb 5, 2019

Welcome to the Year of the Pig

Today marks the start of Chinese New Year festivities, which begin on the first day of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. The celebration culminates 15 days later with the Spring Lantern Festival. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2019 is the Year of the Pig. These lanterns were photographed in Xi"an, China, but celebrations will occur throughout the vast nation as well as in neighboring countries. And other parts of the world with significant Asian populations will also see large public celebrations. It’s traditionally a time to reunite with relatives, and the period sparks one of the largest annual human migrations, with millions of people from major cities journeying home to see their families in more rural areas. Happy New Year!

© VCG/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Feb 5, 2018Iceberg off the coast of Antarctica
Feb 5, 2020Frozen beauty
Feb 5, 2021A sea of swirling stone
Feb 5, 2022Monarch butterflies in Angangueo, Mexico
Feb 5, 2023Monarch butterflies, Pismo Beach, California
Feb 5, 2024Western Monarch Day
Feb 5, 2025Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Feb 5, 2026Salt evaporation ponds on the island of Gozo, Malta

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 11, 2024World Migratory Bird Day
Mar 20, 2021It s time for spring
Apr 7, 2025Happy International Beaver Day!
Jan 9, 2024Balloon Ascension Day
Mar 19, 2022Chicagohenge
Apr 16, 2018The Bazaruto Archipelago of Mozambique
Aug 9, 2021A tribute to the ancestors
May 4, 2022Star Wars Day
Dec 20, 2020Dressed for winter fun
Apr 5, 2019A day of death and rebirth
Jul 27, 2022Mada in Saleh, Saudi Arabia
Apr 25, 2021One giant leap for penguins
Aug 6, 2024Molokini Crater, Maui, Hawaii
Mar 11, 2018Daylight saving time begins
Jun 1, 2018In Apia Harbor for Samoan Independence Day
Aug 10, 2018Assembling the Smithsonian
Aug 15, 2025Spotted eagle rays in the Galápagos Islands
Feb 18, 2019Presidents Day in America’s front yard
Jun 21, 2024World Giraffe Day
Apr 14, 2022Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
Nov 6, 2024Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington
Nov 30, 2019A big place to shop small
Jul 14, 2021A different view of sharks
Nov 15, 2022River otters at Acadia National Park, Maine
Feb 23, 2022Point Reyes National Seashore
Feb 29, 2020It s leap day!
Oct 16, 2019Paleontology meets art
Nov 23, 2020Autumn comes to Old Town
Apr 12, 2018Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia
May 10, 2022Gifford Pinchot National Forest