Friday, 2nd January 2026, presented a day of stark contrasts across the globe, captured through the lenses of photojournalists and curated by The Guardian's picture editors. The collection ranges from severe winter weather in the UK to humanitarian crises and cultural celebrations worldwide.
Weather Extremes: From Welsh Snow to Gaza's Floods
The day was marked by dramatic weather events. In Wales, people were seen walking through heavy snow on the iconic Horseshoe Pass, a scene captured by photographer Adam Vaughan. The image shows a transformed landscape, with figures navigating the pristine, white hills.
In stark contrast, the focus in the Middle East was on water of a very different kind. In Nuseirat, Gaza, a poignant photograph by Abdel Kareem Hana shows a woman cooking outside her flooded tent, highlighting the ongoing dire living conditions in the region.
Meanwhile, in Beijing, China, the night sky offered a spectacle as the first supermoon of 2026, known as the wolf supermoon, rose beside decorative street lights in an image by Andy Wong.
Conflict, Commemoration, and Community
The day's selection also reflected global tensions and acts of remembrance. In Odesa, Ukraine, members of a mobile air defence unit were photographed by Kostiantyn Liberov standing outside during an air raid alert, a sobering reminder of the persistent conflict.
In Tehran, Iran, women gathered for an event marking the sixth anniversary of the US killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani, as shown in a picture by Abedin Taherkenareh. Closer to home, a tragic event unfolded in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, where people were seen comforting each other outside Le Constellation bar after a deadly fire, with tributes of flowers and stuffed animals laid for the victims.
Cultural Moments and Seasonal Traditions
Amidst the gravity, moments of culture and tradition provided a counterpoint. In Pillaro, Ecuador, revellers wearing devil masks danced during traditional New Year's celebrations. In Chennai, India, artists waited to perform the indigenous classical dance form of mohiniyattam.
The day also captured more serene scenes: a man feeding gulls on a beach in La Guaira, Venezuela, and dogs running across snow-covered fields in the Warwickshire village of Bishop's Itchington, England.
From the opening ceremony of the stock market in Seoul to the first snowfall of the year in Istanbul's Taksim Square, the photographs from Friday, 2nd January 2026, serve as a powerful visual diary of our shared world, documenting its resilience, strife, and diverse beauty in a single frame.
