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Cities around the world are gearing up to ring in the New Year with celebrations that highlight local cultures and traditions traditionsafter a year troubled by constant conflicts and political instability.
The countries of the South Pacific Ocean will be the first to welcome the year 2025, at midnight New Zealand strikes 18 hours before the ball drops in Times Square New York.
In New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, thousands were expected to gather in the city center or climb the city’s ring of volcanic peaks for a fireworks display – and a light display recognizing Auckland’s indigenous tribes. It follows a year marked by protests over Maori rights in a population of 5 million.
Two hours later inside Australiamore than a million people are expected on Sydney Harbor for the traditional fireworks display. British pop star Robbie Williams will lead the singing, and indigenous ceremonies and performances will honor the country’s first people.
Asia is gearing up for the Year of the Snake
A lot of Japan closed on the eve of the country’s biggest holiday, as temples and homes underwent a thorough cleaning, including beating the floor mats called “tatami” with large sticks.
The upcoming Year of the Snake in the Asian zodiac has been heralded as a year of rebirth – alluding to the shedding of the reptile’s skin. Shops in Japan, which has been following the zodiac cycle since January 1, are selling tiny figurines of smiling snakes and other snake-themed products. Other places in Asia will start celebrating the Year of the Snake later, with the Lunar New Year.
In South Korea, celebrations have been shortened or canceled as the country observes a period of national mourning following Sunday’s Jeju Air flight crash in Muan that killed 179 people.
Western rivals exchange goodwill
Chinese state media reported on the exchange of New Year’s greetings between leader Xi Jinping and the Russian president Vladimir Putin as a reminder of the growing closeness between the two leaders facing tensions with the West.
Xi told Putin that their countries “will always move forward hand in hand,” the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.
China has maintained ties and strong trade with Russia since its invasion Ukraine 2022, helping to neutralize Western sanctions and attempts to isolate Putin.
Midnight mass, with bubbles
Rome’s traditional New Year’s celebrations have an added attraction: the start of Pope Francis’ Holy Year, a once-a-quarter-century celebration that is expected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City in 2025.
Francis will celebrate vespers at St Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday, followed by Mass on Wednesday, when he is expected to make another appeal for peace amid the wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Meanwhile, in the United States, St. Paul’s Cathedral in Minnesota will host a Mass at 11 p.m., followed by a champagne reception and toasts. January 1st is a day of obligation for Catholics, the feast day of Mary, and many churches will hold vigil masses on Tuesday afternoon and evening.
Paris brings back the Olympic spirit
Paris will celebrate the landmark 2024 with a traditional holiday countdown and fireworks extravaganza on the famous Champs-Élysées.
The Summer Olympics and Paralympics hosted by the French capital from July to September transformed the city into a place of joy, brotherhood and stunning sporting achievements and marked another major milestone in its recovery from deadly Islamist extremist attacks in 2015.
The British will brave the winter weather
London is set to ring in the New Year on Wednesday with a pyrotechnic display along the River Thames and a parade through the city center featuring 10,000 performers. Fireworks will explode against the backdrop of the London Eye, the massive Ferris wheel across the river from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
However, with the storm bringing bitter weather to other parts of the UK, festivities in Edinburgh, Scotland – including a Hogmanay street party, a garden concert and a pyrotechnic display at the castle – have already been cancelled.
Rio will see 2 million people enjoying themselves
Rio de Janeiro will host Brazil’s main New Year’s Eve on Copacabana Beach, with 10 ferries at sea carrying 12 minutes of fireworks. Thousands of tourists on six cruise ships will witness the show up close.
Rio City Hall has been closely guarding its plans for the light and sound display. More than 2 million people are expected at Copacabana, hoping to squeeze in concerts by Brazilian superstars such as pop singer Anitta and Grammy Award winner Caetano Veloso.
American traditions old and new
In New York, the organization that manages Times Square tested its famous ball drop and reviewed 2,025 figures, 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, the Jonas Brothers, Rita Ora and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. .
The party, which covers several blocks around the city’s main tourist and theater hub, is expected to draw a large crowd despite the rain and cold weather.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas will say goodbye in 2024 with some old – and some new – traditions. His annual eight-minute pyrotechnic show will be shown on the Las Vegas Strip, and 340,000 people are expected as fireworks are launched from the roofs of nine casinos.
Nearby, the massive Sphere venue will for the first time show a countdown to midnight in different time zones.
Country music, football and midnight racing
In Pasadena, enthusiastic Rose Parade spectators were set to camp out on the cold streets and ring in the New Year hoping for prime spots for the iconic Southern California tradition. The parade precedes the Rose Bowl football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oregon Ducks on Jan. 1.
Thousands will participate in the midnight 5K race following the parade route.
About 200,000 people will gather for the party in Nashville, Tennessee, which will feature a five-hour performance by some of country music’s biggest stars. At midnight — an hour after New York — the 16-foot-tall, 400-pound note will drop as fireworks light up the sky.
Celebrations will reverberate around the world as the New Year arrives in different time zones, with American Samoa among the last to welcome 2025 a full 24 hours after New Zealand.