PHOTOS — Quebecers celebrate St-Jean-Baptiste Day

A crowd of revelers celebrated St-Jean-Baptiste Day on June 23 at a concert in Quebec City. Better known as Fête nationale in Quebec, June 24 is a holiday to celebrate French Canadian culture. It is only an official holiday in Quebec, though, which means people there get the day off school and work to celebrate. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)
The sun rises over the Glastonbury Tor, a hill in England, on June 21. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, and marks the official start of summer in the western hemisphere. Here, the sun is directly above a stone tower, the only remaining building of St. Michael’s, a church that was located on the hill in the 14th century. Glastonbury Tor is also an important site in local myths and legends, making it a popular destination to watch the sunrise during the solstice. (Image credit: Peter Cziborra/Reuters)
A lightning flash from a thunderstorm lit up the Liberty Memorial tower in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 11. The 66-metre tall tower is part of the National WWI Museum and Memorial. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Charlie Riedel/The Associated Press)
A man tests a drone outside Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 8. Drones are being widely used by soldiers on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war, in part to see what the other side is doing. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Natacha Pisarenko/The Associated Press)
Professional tightrope walker Nathan Paulin took an unusual stroll on May 25 when he walked 2.2km to the French tidal island of Mont Saint Michel on a tightrope suspended more than 100 metres in the air. The crossing took about two hours and was done on a 2cm wide slackline suspended between a crane and the island. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Damien Meyer/Getty Images)
Brazilian soccer player Marcelo Vieira of Real Mardid celebrated his soccer club’s win on May 29 in Madrid, Spain. Here he is, surrounded by confetti, on top of the statue of Cibeles, a fountain that is one of the city’s most famous landmarks. The team beat Liverpool 1-0 in the Champions League final in Paris, France, the day before. It’s the 14th time Madrid has become the European champion — that’s twice more than any other team on the continent. (Image credit: Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Power lines and utility poles were knocked down in Ottawa when a major wind and rain storm blew through parts of Ontario and Quebec on May 21. At least 10 people were killed during the storm, which uprooted trees, destroyed homes, and triggered an emergency alert. Across both provinces, hundreds of thousands of homes were without power for several days. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
A 60-metre mural of a bumblebee decorates a playing field near Hebden Bridge, Britain. The piece was painted to mark World Bee Day on May 20 by an arts group called Sand in Your Eye. Bees are an important part of Earth’s ecosystem because they pollinate plants, which helps them grow. However, the number of bees has been declining and scientists are worried about how this will affect the environment. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Phil Noble/Reuters)
On the night of May 15, Canadians with clear skies were able to catch a lunar eclipse. That’s when the moon passes through the Earth's shadow. In this series of photos, you can see the moon at different stages. It looked orange when it was in shadow and white when the sunlight returned. These photos were taken in Idaho, U.S. Keep scrolling for more great photos from around the world. (Image credit: Ted S. Warren/The Associated Press)
A man sits under a pipe of flowing water to cool off in New Delhi, India, on May 11. For the last three weeks, India and Pakistan have been experiencing a record-breaking heat wave. Extreme temperatures have put a strain on local power grids as people try to stay cool with air conditioning and fans, resulting in outages across both countries. Scientists say climate change is partially responsible. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters)
A search and rescue vehicle belonging to the Peguis First Nation drives through the flooded community on May 4. More than a thousand people have been evacuated from their homes, due to the flooding in Manitoba’s largest First Nations community in the Interlake region. While flooding has impacted the area many times before, this year has been particularly bad. Residents are now calling for permanent assistance and protection. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: David Lipnowski/The Canadian Press)
A group of friends celebrate Eid al-Fitr at a theme park in Birmingham, England, on May 2. Eid marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, where Muslims fast during the daytime. This is done to practise self-discipline, empathize with those less fortunate and focus on religion without distraction. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Jacob King/PA/AP)
On April 26, the ‘Friendship of the Peoples’ monument in Kyiv, Ukraine, was demolished. Formally standing 8 metres high, the statue featured two men holding a star-shaped message that celebrated the friendship between Ukraine and the former USSR, now Russia. Kyiv’s mayor announced the removal of the statue on social media and said the remaining structure would be renamed. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Alexey Furman/Getty Images)
A dancer with the Tambores de Olokun samba school rehearses on April 17 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The group will be performing during Carnival, an annual celebration of samba, a Brazilian-African music and dance style. Usually held before Easter, this year’s event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Bruna Prado/The Associated Press)
Two Sikh youth bathe in the sacred pond at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, on April 14. They are there for Vaisakhi, a spring harvest holiday that celebrates the creation of a group of baptized Sikhs known as the Khalsa. Some traditions include gathering at Sikh places of worship called Gurdwaras, and organizing “nagar kirtan,” a community event to pay respect to the Guru Granth Sahib, the central holy scripture of Sikhism. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Narinder Nanu/AFP via Getty Images)
On April 7, it was announced that Canadian photojournalist Amber Bracken’s Kamloops Residential School has been named the World Press Photo of the Year. The picture shows a row of red dresses and orange shirts hung on crosses in Kamloops, British Columbia. The makeshift memorial was created in June 2021 after 215 potential graves were discovered at a formal residential school site nearby. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Amber Bracken for The New York Times/World Press Photo/The Associated Press)
Kids in Yangon, Myanmar, celebrate the first day of Ramadan at the Nwe Aye Mosque on April 3. Muslims around the world mark the Islamic holy month by fasting, which means not eating or drinking when the sun is up. (Image credit: Ye Aung Thu/AFP/Getty Images)
People used their smartphones to light up a stadium in Vienna, Austria, during the We Stand With Ukraine charity concert on March 19. All of the money made from ticket sales went to humanitarian aid for the country. More than four million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded in February. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Florian Wieser/APA/AFP via Getty Images)
Colours fly in Ahmedabad, India, during Holi celebrations on March 18. Many Hindus mark the arrival of spring by taking to the streets to throw coloured water and powders at each other. The ritual refers to the love story between the Hindu god Krishna, who had blue or black skin, and the goddess Radha, who painted her skin to match his. (Image credit: Amit Dave/Reuters)
Some lucky visitors got a unique perspective when they took a ride on The Dragon of Calais (La Compagnie du Dragon) on March 11. Of course, the dragon isn’t real. It’s actually a large mechanical puppet! People inside and on its path help control the creature as it takes visitors along the seaside of Calais, France. The dragon can even blow steam and breathe fire. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Quills and thrills were had by all when Percy, a two-storey porcupine puppet, poked her head out to greet visitors at a Los Angeles park on March 3. Jim Henson's Creature Shop, a special effects company founded by the creator of The Muppets, helped make Percy. From now on, the puppet will welcome visitors at the San Diego Zoo. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Richard Vogel/The Associated Press)
Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong’s sculpture, called #TurnOffThePlasticTap, greeted politicians arriving for the United Nations Environmental Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, on Feb. 21. The piece is made from plastic waste gathered from Kibera, the largest slum in Africa. It was created specifically for this meeting, where an international agreement is being discussed to help deal with plastic pollution. The idea was approved on Mar. 2, and will be finalized in 2024. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: turnofftheplastictap.com)
This sculpture, called Flower Girl, is made entirely out of black Lego bricks. The piece, by Toronto-based artist Ekow Nimako, is part of an exhibition on display at the Willis Museum in Winchester, England. Nimako explores afrofuturistic themes in his work, which means he combines Black history and culture with science fiction. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Samuel Engelking)
While it may look like some lucky travellers are on their way to the moon, this is actually just a well-timed photo caught on Jan. 21 in London, England. Did you know that the moon stars in a short film that is regarded as the first-ever sci-fi movie? In 1902’s ‘Le Voyage dans la Lune’ (A Trip to the Moon), a group of scientists use a cannon to visit the moon and go on an adventure. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
More than 1 billion people around the world are taking part in the Lunar New Year festival, which began on Feb. 1. Each year is represented by one of 12 animals. This is the year of the tiger, which explains why this glowing orange creature was on display at Yu Garden in Shanghai, China. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Aly Song/Reuters)
These kids wasted no time making the most of their unexpected snow day in Jerusalem’s Old City on Jan. 27. A rare snowfall came to the usually warm Middle Eastern city, shutting down schools for the day and giving residents a chance to enjoy the unusual weather. This religious site is known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount. The snowman that the three friends built sits in front of a shrine called Dome of the Rock. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Ammar Awad/Reuters)
On Jan. 11, NASA shared an out-of-this-world picture of a giant exploding star called Cassiopeia A. It’s the target of NASA’s new observatory, called Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) that launched into space last month. NASA hopes the project will teach us more about the universe. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: @NASA/Instagram)
An Isreali nature photographer got quite the photo when he snapped a picture of a group of starlings making this unique spoon-like formation in the Jordan Valley on Dec. 27. The starlings, which are a type of bird, were flying from Europe to Israel as part of their annual migration. That’s when birds fly to warmer places in winter. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: @albertkeshet/Instagram)
Seven-time Formula One car racing champion Lewis Hamilton was knighted in a ceremony on Dec. 15 at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. The title is mostly ceremonial, but the U.K. citizen will now officially be known as Sir Lewis Hamilton. The honour comes days after the Mercedes driver lost his chance at a record-breaking eighth championship title when he came second in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: Dominic Lipinski/The Associated Press)
The robotic dinosaur is all dressed up for the holidays! On Dec. 6, Rex the T. rex debuted its festive threads for visitors at the Natural History Museum in London, England. Made by a local company, Rex’s sweater took 100 hours to make and weighs 12 times more than a human-sized one. Keep scrolling for more of the best photos from around the world. (Image credit: National History Museum/Instagram)