People around the world danced, cheered, and smeared colorful powder on each other’s faces in massive celebrations around the world this week.
The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea ended Sunday as fans, athletes, and international dignitaries packed the Olympic stadium for the Closing Ceremony. The event culminated with a drone display and an elaborate performance atop a stunning, digital floor.
In India, revelers joined neighbors to celebrate Holi, also known as the Day of Colors. The holiday marks the arrival of spring and gives celebrants a chance to meet new people and forgive old grievances.
In China and international Chinatowns, like the one in New York City, huge crowds participated in Lunar New Year parades, parties, and performances to kick off the Year of the Dog.
And plenty of schoolkids throughout the United Kingdom and Italy had reason to cheer: The ‘Beast from the East’ storm dumped snow over much of Europe and forced schools to close across the continent.
Girls smear colored powder on each other as they celebrate Holi in Jammu, India on March 1, 2018. Holi, which is also called festival of colors, is one of the important festival in the Indian subcontinent. The festival signifies the arrival of spring, end of winter and for many a festive day to meet others and forgive and forgot. It is also celebrated as a thanksgiving for a good harvest.
1) Holi: Girls smear colored powder on each other as they celebrate Holi in Jammu, India on March 1. Holi, which is also called the festival of colors, is one of the important festival in the Indian subcontinent.. The festival signifies the arrival of spring, end of winter and, for many, a festive day to meet others and to forgive and forget. It is also celebrated as a thanksgiving for a good harvest.
2) Lunar New Year Parade In New York City: People take part in the Chinese Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown on February 25 in New York City. The Chinese New Year parade is one of the biggest spectacles of Chinatown in NYC, also known as The Lunar New Year, it is based on the moonâs cycle and commemorates the beginning of Spring. This year is the year of the dog.
In this March 1, 2018 photo, people twirl cans filled with burning wood chips and straw to celebrate the first full moon of the Lunar New Year in Seoul, South Korea. According to the lunar calendar, the first full moon falls on March 2 this year, and is the day Koreans traditionally eat special treats and wish for a bountiful harvest in the year.
3) Full Moon in South Korea: People twirl cans filled with burning wood chips and straw to celebrate the first full moon of the Lunar New Year in Seoul, South Korea on March 1. According to the lunar calendar, the first full moon falls on March 2 this year, and is the day Koreans traditionally eat special treats and wish for a bountiful harvest in the year.
A man looks at the Trevi Fountain during a snowfall, in Rome, Feb. 26, 2018. Romans have awoken to a rare snowfall, after an Arctic storm passing over much of Europe dumped enough snow to force schools to close and public transport to reduce services.
4) Snow in Rome: A man looks at the Trevi Fountain during a snowfall, in Rome, February 26. Romans have awoken to a rare snowfall, after an Arctic storm passing over much of Europe dumped enough snow to force schools to close and public transport to reduce services. Temperatures in the UK and across Europe have plummeted this week, while those in the Arctic are soaring. It means that temperatures in some parts of the Arctic are actually warmer than parts of the UK.
Bryan Desroches, of Berlin, Conn., pulls a sled loaded with ice fishing gear across Jordan Bay on Sebago Lake as he heads for shore after an unsuccessful day in Raymond, Maine, Feb. 24, 2018. The unseasonably mild weather created puddles of melt water on the surface of southern Maine's largest lake.
5) Warmer Weather in the US: Bryan Desroches, of Berlin, Conn., pulls a sled loaded with ice fishing gear across Jordan Bay on Sebago Lake as he heads for shore after an unsuccessful day in Raymond, Maine, February 24. The unseasonably mild weather created puddles of melt water on the surface of southern Maine's largest lake.
6) Killed Journalist: People lay candles in front of a government office during a silent protest march in memory of Murdered Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend Martina Kusnirova in Bratislava, Slovakia on February 28. Murdered Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak, a 27-year-old reporter for the aktuality.sk news portal owned by Axel Springer and Ringier, was about to publish an investigation into high-level political corruption, the country's leading newspaper said on February 27, as the killing stoked concerns about graft and press freedom in the small EU state.
Thousands of West Virginia teachers attend a rally at the state Capitol in Charleston, W.Va., Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Teachers across West Virginia will continue a walkout over pay and benefits for a fourth day.
7) West Virginia Teacher Strike: Thousands of West Virginia teachers attend a rally at the state Capitol in Charleston, W.Va., February 26. Teachers across West Virginia will continue a walkout over pay and benefits for a fourth day.
8) Black Panther Panel: Author Ta-Nehisi Coates with Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong'o at The Apollo Theater on February 27 in New York City.
9) Pyeongchang Closing Ceremonies: A general view of images of flags being projected on the stands as athletes enter the stadium during the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Pyeongchang Stadium on February 25, 2018.
10) Unrest in Democratic Republic of Congo: An Internally Displaced Congolese woman stands while constructing a makeshift shelter in a camp for IDP's on February 27 in Bunia. Twenty-three people have been killed in renewed clashes between ethnic groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo's troubled east, according to an official toll Wednesday.
Passengers stand on a deck of a tourist boat with restaurant aboard especially designed for winter river cruises as it breaks through the frozen Moskva River in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Temperatures dipped to -14 degrees Celsius (6.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in Moscow and -24 degrees Celsius (-11 degrees Fahrenheit) at night.
11) Freezing Temperatures in Russia: Passengers stand on a deck of a tourist boat with a restaurant aboard specially designed for winter river cruises as it breaks through the frozen Moskva River in Moscow, Russia, February 26. Temperatures dipped to -14 degrees Celsius (6.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in Moscow and -24 degrees Celsius (-11 degrees Fahrenheit) at night.
Protesters block the streets near Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court in Washington, Thursday, March 1, 2018. Dozens of undocumented youth and supporters ended their 250-mile Walk to Stay Home from New York to Washington. After marching across six states over 15 days the protesters rallied in support of a clean bill to protect DACA recipients.
12) DACA Protest: Protesters block the streets near Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court in Washington, DC on March 1. Dozens of undocumented youth and supporters ended their 250-mile "Walk to Stay Home" from New York to Washington. After marching across six states over 15 days the protesters rallied in support of a clean bill to protect DACA recipients.
A 4-year-old lion named Simba, who was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws, is released into an enclosure at the Lionsrock Lodge and Big Cat Sanctuary in Bethlehem, South Africa in Bethlehem, South Africa, Feb. 26, 2018. Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria were transported to South Africa on Monday to live at a sanctuary with other animals that survived harsh conditions in captivity elsewhere in the world.
13) Lion Rescue: A 4-year-old lion named Simba, who was rescued from Syria by the animal rights group Four Paws, is released into an enclosure at the Lionsrock Lodge and Big Cat Sanctuary in Bethlehem, South Africa on February 26. Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war zones in Iraq and Syria were transported to South Africa on Monday to live at a sanctuary with other animals that survived harsh conditions in captivity elsewhere in the world.
14) Holi: Indian devotees and foreign tourists take part in the 'kapda phaar' or cloth-tearing during Holi festival celebrations in Pushkar, in the Indian state of Rajasthan on March 2.
15) 'The Beast From The East' Weather in UK: A woman makes her way through the snow on March 1 in Balloch, Scotland. Freezing weather conditions dubbed the 'Beast from the East' combines with Storm Emma coming in from the South West of Britain to bring further snow and sub-zero temperatures causing chaos on roads and shutting schools. Red weather warnings for snow have been seen in the UK for the first time and five people have died as a result.