The New Zealand city of Auckland became the first major city to celebrate the New Year, with thousands of people flocking to the city center and setting off fireworks. The New Year was first welcomed in the countries of the South Pacific Ocean.
The New Year was welcomed in New Zealand 18 hours before the ‘ball drop’ (fall of the ball on the roof of Times Square) in New York’s Times Square. Celebrations to welcome 2025 were muted due to conflict in places like West Asia, Sudan and Ukraine. In Australia, fireworks were lit from Sydney Harbor Bridge to across the bay. More than one million Australians and others gathered on the iconic Sydney Harbor for the celebration. British pop star Robbie Williams sang along with the crowd. Japan was in celebration during the New Year holidays as people decorated temples and homes. New Year celebrations were subdued or canceled in South Korea during a period of national mourning following the crash of a Jeju Air plane in Muon on Sunday. 179 people were killed in this accident.
Many shopping malls in Bangkok, Thailand competed to attract crowds with music and fireworks shows. 800 drones were used in a fireworks display in Jakarta, Indonesia. Chinese state media covered the exchange of New Year greetings between President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a reminder of the growing closeness between the two leaders who are facing tensions with the West.
According to the official news agency ‘Xinhua’, Xi told Putin that the two countries will always move forward with friendship. China has maintained ties and strengthened trade with Ukraine since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, helping to fend off Western sanctions and efforts to isolate Putin.
Thousands of people reached the shores of the Arabian Sea in India’s financial capital Mumbai. People in Sri Lanka gathered at Buddhist temples to pray by lighting lamps and incense sticks. In Dubai, thousands of people attended the fireworks display at the world’s tallest skyscraper Burj Khalifa and fireworks were also set off in Nairobi, Kenya.
An added attraction is the traditional New Year’s Eve celebration in Rome, where ‘Pope Francis’ Holy Year’ is celebrated every 25 years. According to an estimate, about 3.2 crore pilgrims are expected to reach Rome in 2025. Francis led evening prayers at St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday. During prayers on Wednesday, he is expected to once again appeal for peace in Ukraine and Middle East Asia. Paris made the New Year a memorable one by bidding farewell to 2024 with its traditional ‘countdown’ and fireworks on the Champs-Élysées. Paris’s symbolic Arc de Triomphe monument was transformed into a giant tableau for a light show as people gathered at the city’s historic sites to celebrate the New Year.
The New Year was celebrated with a fireworks display on the banks of the River Thames in London. However, in other parts of Britain, the weather remained bad due to the storm, due to which the celebrations were canceled in Edinburgh, Scotland, but in Switzerland and some other places, people jumped into the water, not caring about the cold. Brazil’s main New Year’s Eve celebration took place on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, with fireworks set off continuously for 12 minutes. This year’s festival features musical performances from TLC, Jonas Brothers, Rita Ora and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. American Samoa will be one of the last countries to welcome 2025.
