Happy New Year! The world welcomes 2025 with fireworks and light shows – National

From Sydney to Vladivostok, communities around the world have begun to welcome 2025 with spectacular light shows, hugs and ice cream cones.

Auckland became the first major city to celebrate, as thousands crammed into the city center or climbed the ring of the city’s volcanic peaks for a viewing point of fireworks. A light display recognized indigenous people.

Countries in the South Pacific are the first to ring in the New Year, with midnight in New Zealand strikingly 18 hours before the ball drops in Times Square in New York.

Conflict dampened recognitions of the new year in places like the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine.

Fireworks blasted off the Sydney Harbor Bridge and across the bay. More than a million Australians and others gathered in iconic Sydney Harbor for the celebration. British pop star Robbie Williams led a singalong with the audience.

The celebration also included indigenous ceremonies and performances that recognized the first people of the land.

Much of Japan shut down for the nation’s biggest holiday as temples and homes underwent a thorough cleaning.

The coming Year of the Snake in the Asian zodiac is heralded as one of rebirth – referring to the reptiles that have been forgotten. Shops in Japan, which observes the zodiac cycle from January 1, have been selling snake-themed products. Other places in Asia will later mark the Year of the Snake with the Lunar New Year.

In South Korea, celebrations were cut short or canceled during a period of national mourning following Sunday’s crash of a Jeju Air flight near Muan that killed 179 people.

In Bangkok, Thailand, shopping malls compete for crowds with live musical acts and fireworks shows. A performance by popular rap singer Lisa, the Thai member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink, was scheduled just before midnight.

A fireworks display in Jakarta, Indonesia contained 800 drones.

Chinese state media covered an exchange of New Year greetings between leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a reminder of growing rapprochement between the leaders facing tensions with the West.

Xi told Putin that their countries “will always move forward hand in hand,” the official Xinhua News Agency said.

China has maintained ties and robust trade with Russia since it last invaded Ukraine in 2022, helping offset Western sanctions and trying to isolate Putin.

Xi also addressed Taiwan, the self-governing island claimed by Beijing: “We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same family. No one can ever sever the bond of kinship between us.

In his address to the nation, Putin said that Russia “set great goals for ourselves and achieved them, and we overcame difficulties more than once because we were together.”

New Year’s celebrations are likely to be subdued in Israel as its conflict with Hamas continues and dozens of hostages remain in captivity. Meanwhile, the extent of famine is hard to gauge in northern Gaza, where thousands have fled an intensified Israeli military crackdown that aid groups say has allowed almost no aid deliveries since October.

Many areas in Lebanon were heavily damaged during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which ended with a shaky ceasefire. Syrians, meanwhile, have expressed hope and uncertainty following the overthrow of leader Bashar Assad.

In Dubai, thousands of people attended a fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper.

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Rome’s traditional New Year’s celebrations have an extra draw: the start of Pope Francis’ Holy Year, the once-in-a-quarter-century celebration expected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City by 2025 .

On Tuesday, Francis will celebrate Vespers in St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by Mass on Wednesday, when he is expected to appeal for peace again amid wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

January 1 is a day of obligation for Catholics, marking the Assumption of Mary.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged residents to stick together despite the country’s ailing economy and a deadly Christmas market attack that rocked the nation.

“We are a country of unity. And we can draw strength from this – especially in difficult times like this,” Scholz said in a pre-recorded speech.

Paris captures the Olympic spirit

Paris will end an important 2024 with its traditional countdown and fireworks extravaganza on the Champs-Elysées.

The Summer Olympics and the Paralympics held in the French capital from July to September transformed the city into a place of joy, brotherhood and astonishing sporting achievements. It also marked a milestone in its recovery from deadly extremist attacks in 2015 by al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

London will ring in the New Year with a pyrotechnic display along the River Thames and a parade through the city center on Wednesday with 10,000 performers.

With a storm bringing bitter weather to other parts of the UK, festivities in Edinburgh, Scotland – including the Hogmanay Street party and castle pyrotechnics show – were cancelled.

But in Switzerland and some other places, people embraced the cold, stripping and diving into the water at freezing temperatures.

Rio de Janeiro will throw Brazil’s most important New Year’s Eve on Copacabana Beach, with ferries sailing offshore with 12 minutes of fireworks. Thousands of tourists in cruise ships will witness the show up close.

More than 2 million people were expected at the Copacabana, hoping to squeeze in concerts by superstar Brazilian artists such as pop singer Anitta and Grammy award winner Caetano Veloso.

In New York City, the organization that manages Times Square tested its famous ball drop and inspected 2025 numbers, lights and thousands of crystals as part of a tradition that dates back to 1907. This year’s celebration will include musical performances by TLC , Jonas Brothers, Rita Ora and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas’ pyrotechnic show will be on the Strip, with 340,000 people expected as fireworks are launched from the roofs of casinos. Nearby, the massive Sphere venue will display countdowns to midnight for the first time in different time zones.

In Pasadena, eager Rose Parade spectators camped out hoping for prime spots. And about 200,000 people came to a party in Nashville, Tennessee, with a show from some of country music’s biggest stars.

American Samoa will be among the last to welcome 2025, a full 24 hours after New Zealand.