“To everything there is a season,” we are told in Ecclesiastes 3. Among many other things, there is “a time to be born, a time to die … a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”
Those timeless truths are borne out in this week’s top photos. Many people across the world paused once again to mourn on Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which marked the 77th year since the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
There was also a time to dance in Blackpool, England, as the palatial Blackpool Tower Ballroom reopened with a meticulously restored floor of inlaid oak, mahogany and walnut.
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Australia Day, Jan. 26, included a bit of both rejoicing and mourning, as the country commemorated the arrival of the first fleet to Sydney in 1788. Not everyone saw this as cause for celebration, however; indigenous Australians refer to the day as “Invasion Day.”
If you’re building a bucket list, take a peek at the remaining scenes for some destination possibilities: Witness the prelude to a camel beauty contest in the United Arab Emirates, a friendly, freeloading macaw in Caracas, Venezuela, nature’s spectacular light show in Montevideo, Uruguay, and a crocodile farm in Thailand.
Dancers take to the restored Blackpool Tower Ballroom dance floor Jan. 25 after major restoration work on the famous sprung wooden floor in Blackpool, England. Over 100 layers of lacquer were removed by specialists to reveal the beauty of 30,602 individual blocks of oak, mahogany and walnut, which were then re-lacquered and sealed. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images)
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A Time to Celebrate … or Maybe Not
Artwork by David Miller is projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House on January 26 in Sydney, Australia. Australia Day, formerly known as Foundation Day, is the official national day of Australia and is celebrated annually on Jan. 26 to commemorate the arrival of the first fleet to Sydney in 1788. Indigenous Australians refer to the day as ‘Invasion Day.’ There is growing support to change the date to one which can be celebrated by all Australians. (James D. Morgan / Getty Images)
Camel Convention
Men walk their camels at sunrise during the Mazayin Dhafra Camel Festival in the desert near the city of Madinat Zayed, United Arab Emirates, some 150 kilometers (93 miles) west of the capital Abu Dhabi, on Jan. 23. The festival, which attracts participants from around the Gulf region, includes a camel beauty contest, a display of UAE handcrafts and other activities aimed at promoting the country’s folklore. (Karim Sahib – AFP /Getty Images)
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Bird’s Eye View
A wild macaw eats peanuts on the edge of an apartment balcony in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 27. Macaws regularly land on the balconies and window sills for food placed for them by residents. (Matias Delacroix / AP)
Lightning bolts strike near the Uruguayan Yacht Club during a Jan. 22 thunderstorm in Montevideo. (Mariana Suarez – AFP / Getty Images)
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Croc on the Menu
Crocodiles enter the water inside a concrete pond at a farm in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, on Jan. 27. The price of pork, a substantial part of many peoples’ diet in Thailand, has soared due to supply shortages, leading to a boom in alternative sources of protein. Crocodile meat, which enjoyed a niche among diners, has started rapidly rising in popularity as its price point becomes competitive, local media reported. (Sirachai Arunrugstichai / Getty Images)
