By Charlotte Graham McRae, Associated Press
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Auckland will be the first major city to welcome 2025, with thousands of revelers counting down to the new year and watching colorful fireworks and fireworks from the Sky Tower, New Zealand’s tallest structure. People are cheering for the spectacular light show downtown. .
Thousands of people also flocked to downtown or climbed to the top of the city’s ring of volcanoes for a vantage point for fireworks and a light display recognizing Oakland’s indigenous tribes. The film follows a year marked by protests over the rights of Maori, a population of 5 million people.
Countries in the South Pacific are the first to ring in the new year. In New Zealand, midnight occurs 18 hours before the ball drops in New York’s Times Square. After a year plagued by ongoing conflict and political unrest, other cities around the world are preparing for celebrations that focus on local culture and traditions.
In Australia, more than one million people are currently expected to descend on Sydney Harbor for traditional fireworks. British pop star Robbie Williams will lead the singalong, and Indigenous ceremonies and performances will honor the first people of this land.
Asia gears up for the Year of the Snake
Much of Japan was shut down ahead of the nation’s biggest holiday, with temples and homes undergoing deep cleaning, including beating floor mats known as “tatami” with large sticks.
The upcoming Asian Zodiac Year of the Snake is heralded as a year of rebirth, hinting at reptilian shedding. Stores in Japan, where the Chinese zodiac begins on January 1, are selling small figurines of smiling snakes and other snake-themed products. In other parts of Asia, this will be followed by the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Snake.
In South Korea, celebratory events have been scaled back or canceled as a period of national mourning follows Sunday’s Jeju Air flight crash in Muan, which killed 179 people.
Jakarta’s New Year celebrations will feature a dazzling fireworks display, including a drone show featuring 800 drones, followed by a countdown to midnight at the city’s iconic Hotel Indonesia Roundabout.
West rivals exchange goodwill
Chinese state media reported an exchange of New Year’s greetings between leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin as a reminder of the growing closeness between the two leaders as they face tensions with the West. .
Xi told Putin that the two countries “will always move forward hand in hand,” state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday.
China has maintained ties and robust trade with Russia since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, helping offset Western sanctions and attempts to isolate President Putin.
Conflict casts a shadow on the Middle East
In Israel, New Year’s celebrations are likely to be curtailed as the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip rages on for 15 months and a large number of hostages remain in custody.
Lebanon is in a deep economic crisis, and many areas have been badly affected by the war between Israel and Hezbollah that ended in an uneasy ceasefire. Meanwhile, Syrians are expressing their hopes and fears for next year after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.
In Dubai, thousands of people are expected to attend the annual fireworks show at Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper.
Midnight mass with bubbles
Rome’s traditional New Year’s Eve festivities have an added charm. It is the beginning of Pope Francis’ Jubilee. The quarterly festival is expected to attract around 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City in 2025.
Francis is expected to hold a banquet in St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday, followed by a Mass on Wednesday, where he will once again appeal for peace amid escalating wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Meanwhile, in the United States, a mass will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Minnesota from 11 p.m., followed by a champagne toast reception. January 1st is the Solemnity of Mary for Catholics, and many churches hold wake masses on Tuesday afternoon and evening.
German leader calls for unity in the new year
Hours before Germany’s New Year rang in, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the country’s 84 million He called on residents to unite.
“We are a nation of togetherness, and we can draw strength from that, especially in difficult times like these,” Scholz said in a prerecorded speech.
Paris regains Olympic spirit
Paris will conclude the momentous year 2024 with a traditional festive countdown and fireworks extravaganza on the famous Champs-Elysées.
The Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, held in the French capital from July to September, turned the city into a place of joy, camaraderie and amazing sporting achievements, and the deadly extremist attacks by al-Qaeda and terrorist organizations in 2015 This marked a new major milestone in the recovery from the Islamic State group.
Brits will brave winter weather
London will ring in the new year with fireworks along the Thames and a parade through the city center on Wednesday featuring 10,000 performers. The fireworks will be set off against the backdrop of the London Eye, the giant Ferris wheel across the river from Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament.
But festivals such as Hogmanay street parties, garden concerts and castle fireworks shows have already been canceled in Edinburgh, Scotland, as the storm brought severe weather to other parts of the UK.
2 million people revel in Rio
Rio de Janeiro will hold Brazil’s main New Year’s Eve celebrations on Copacabana Beach, with 10 ferries setting off fireworks for 12 minutes straight offshore. Thousands of tourists aboard six cruise ships will witness the show up close.
Rio City Hall had tight security for the planned light and sound exhibition. More than 2 million people are expected to attend Copacabana for concerts by superstar Brazilian artists such as pop singer Anitta and Grammy Award winner Caetano Veloso.
old and new american traditions
In New York City, the organization that manages Times Square tested the famous ball drop and inspected the 2025 numbers, lights and thousands of crystals as part of a tradition dating back to 1907. This year’s celebration will include musical performances by TLC and the Jonas Brothers. , Rita Ora, Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
The party covers multiple blocks around the city’s main tourist and theatrical hub, and is expected to draw a large crowd despite the rainy and chilly weather.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas will be saying goodbye in 2024 along with some old traditions and some new ones. The annual eight-minute fireworks show takes place on the Las Vegas Strip, with fireworks set off from the rooftops of nine casinos and an expected crowd of 340,000.
The nearby giant Sphere venue will display the countdown to midnight for the first time in different time zones.
Country music, football, and midnight racing
In Pasadena, enthusiastic Rose Parade goers camped out on the cold streets to ring in the new year in search of a prime spot in an iconic Southern California tradition. The parade will take place prior to the Rose Bowl football game on January 1st between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks.
Thousands of people are expected to participate in a late-night 5K race along the parade route.
The party in Nashville, Tennessee, will draw about 200,000 people and feature a five-hour show featuring country music’s biggest stars. An hour later, at midnight in New York, a 16-foot tall, 400-pound musical note falls as fireworks light up the sky.
Celebrations ring out around the world as the new year arrives in different time zones, but American Samoa will be one of the last countries to welcome 2025, a full 24 hours later than New Zealand.
Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report.
First published: December 31, 2024 4:05 AM PST
