This past weekend offered a vivid tapestry of human experience across the globe, captured through the lenses of photojournalists. The Guardian's picture editors have curated a compelling selection of images that span celebration, faith, conflict, and the stark realities of current affairs.
Cultural Rituals and Celebrations
In Taizhou, China, an artist meticulously crafted a vibrant dragon lantern in preparation for the upcoming Spring Festival, a tradition symbolising hopes for favourable weather and abundant harvests. Meanwhile, in Manila, Philippines, crowds carried icons of the baby Jesus during the annual Santo Niño feast, a display of deep religious devotion.
Elsewhere, unique local traditions took centre stage. In Gljev, Croatia, men dressed in the distinctive costume of ‘Didi s Kamešnice’ paraded through fields as part of carnival festivities. In a more serene ritual in Mallorca, Spain, the Bishop blessed animals during the traditional ceremony marking the day of San Anton.
The spiritual was also on display in Allahabad, India, where Naga Sadhus took a holy dip at Sangam, the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythological Saraswati rivers during the month-long Magh Mela.
Sport, Politics, and Stark Realities
Athletic endeavour met extreme climate in Oymyakon, Russia, where participants braved frigid temperatures at an aid station during the challenging Pole of Cold marathon. In a lighter sporting scene, a colourful kite flew over beachgoers at sunset during the annual Treasure Island Kite Festival in Florida, USA.
The political landscape was reflected in several powerful images. In Kampala, Uganda, supporters of the National Resistance Movement danced in celebration after Yoweri Museveni, 81, won a seventh presidential term. Conversely, in Minneapolis, USA, a person wearing a mask of former President Donald Trump was instructed to move on by a police officer.
Activism found a platform on the red carpet in Berlin, Germany, where Iranian actor Solmaz Panahi posed with a sticker bearing the slogan #freeiran at the 38th European Film Awards.
Conflict, Technology, and Quiet Moments
The ongoing human cost of war was starkly visible in Druzhkivka, Ukraine, where firefighters battled a blaze in a house struck by a drone. An abandoned prison belonging to a Kurdish-led militia stood as a silent testament to past conflicts in Raqqa, Syria.
In a glimpse of the future, NASA's next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System with the Orion crew capsule, made a slow roll from its assembly building to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The collection also captured quieter, poignant moments: children cooling off in an inflatable pool while their horses drank on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and swans gliding on the water at Stover Country Park in Devon, UK. The weekend concluded with a show of support in Pitlochry, Scotland, where Sir Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, and Graham Norton attended the inaugural LGBTQ+ Out in the Hills festival.
Together, these photographs from Sunday 18 January 2026 form a powerful, non-verbal narrative of our world, highlighting the diverse threads of culture, struggle, joy, and resilience that define the human condition.
