What The First Day Of School Looks Like Around The World

Though different countries have different calendars and traditions, the excitement of going back to school is universal.

It’s back-to-school season in the U.S. and many other parts of the world, as teachers, students and administrators are ushering in a new year of learning.

Though schools around the globe have different start dates, calendars and traditions, the first day of a new term is an exciting time filled with the prospects of gaining more knowledge, making new friends and building community.

In honor of this occasion, here are 14 first-day-of-school photos from around the world.

Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Mumbai, India
Children enjoy the first day of school at Mahila Sangh School, Vile Parle in Mumbai, India.
Viktor Drachev via Getty Images
Turov, Belarus
Schoolchildren attend their first lesson on Knowledge Day in the town of Turov, Zhytkavichy District. Knowledge Day marks the beginning of a new school year in Belarus and is celebrated on Sept. 1.
Carlos Barria / Reuters
Fukushima, Japan
Children attend a ceremony on their first day of school at Shimizu elementary school in Fukushima, Japan.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa / Reuters
Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip
Palestinian schoolchildren play on the first day of a new school year, at a United Nations-run school in Deir al-Balah refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
HECTOR RETAMAL via Getty Images
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Students prepare for the first day of school at the Lycee du Cent Cinquantatenaire, in Port-au-Prince.
FRED TANNEAU via Getty Images
Quimper, France
Pupils enter their classroom in a primary school on the first day of the new school year on Sept. 4, 2017, in Quimper, western France.
Reuters Photographer / Reuters
Hanoi, Vietnam
Young Vietnamese children are dressed up and ready to perform for parents and local officials on the first day of the school year at the private Minh Hai Nursery School in Hanoi.
The Washington Post via Getty Images
Ashburn, Virginia, USA
Teacher Margaret Upp and the rest of the teaching staff greet students on the first day of classes at the newly opened Brambleton Middle School in Ashburn, Virginia.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Johannesburg, South Africa
First grade students of Finetown Primary School are seen during the first day of the school year in Johannesburg.
DELIL SOULEIMAN via Getty Images
Ain Issa, Syria
A displaced child from the Islamic State group's Syrian stronghold of Raqa walks to attend the first day of the new school year at a camp for internally displaced people in Ain Issa.
Jeff J Mitchell via Getty Images
Glenalmond, Scotland
Schoolgirls arrive at Glenalmond College for the first day of term. The independent boarding school founded by William Gladstone and James Hope Scott is based on the architecture of Oxford University.
Marta Iwanek via Getty Images
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Caroline Mogomela hugs Yesenia Villada on her first day of school at St. Patrick Secondary School in Toronto.
AFP via Getty Images
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
A teacher guides her pupils to the classroom on the first day of classes in Honduras, at the John F. Kennedy School in Tegucigalpa on Feb. 8.

Before You Go

LOADINGERROR LOADING
Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE