NEW YORK (AP) — Communities around the world, from Sydney to Mumbai to Paris to Rio de Janeiro. Welcoming 2025 with a spectacular light showhug each other and take an ice plunge.
The New Year’s Eve ball was dropped in a flooded Times Square, and thousands of participants held it out in the rain to celebrate the start of 2025 in New York City.
South Pacific countries were the first to ring in the new year, striking midnight in New Zealand 18 hours before the ball dropped in Times Square. Oakland was the first major city to host the celebration, with thousands of people flocking to downtown or climbing to the top of the city’s volcano ring for a vantage point to watch the fireworks.
In places like , there are conflicting silent perceptions about the beginning of 2025. middle east, sudan and ukraine.
American Samoa will be one of the last countries to celebrate in 2025, a full 24 hours behind New Zealand.
More than a million people are estimated to have turned out to watch traditional fireworks over Sydney Harbour, as Australians ring in 2025.
the earliest fireworks
Hours after Auckland, fireworks were set off from Australia’s Sydney Harbor Bridge and crossed the bay. More than a million people gathered on the iconic Sydney Harbor for the celebrations. British pop star Robbie Williams led a singalong with the crowd.
The celebration also featured Indigenous ceremonies and performances honoring the first people of this land.
old and new american traditions
In New York City, crowds cheered and couples kissed as 2,688 balls weighing about 6 tons (5.4 metric tons) were thrown. crystal triangle I landed on a pole in Times Square. The celebration included musical performances. TLC and jonas brothers.
Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Japan also welcomed the new year, with fireworks displays held in several cities and prayers held in Tokyo.
The festivities culminated in a dance party, and attendees went home singing Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”
Angie Cuadradu, from Virginia, said she hopes 2025 will be a great year. “We’re sending positive vibes everywhere,” she said.
The Las Vegas fireworks show will be held on the Strip, with fireworks set off from the rooftops of casinos, and an audience of 340,000 expected. near, sphere venue For the first time, the countdown to midnight will be displayed in different time zones.
In Pasadena, California, Rose Parade spectators were camping out And I’m hoping for the best spot. And about 200,000 people gathered for a country music party in Nashville, Tennessee.
Asia prepares for the Year of the Snake
Much of Japan was shut down ahead of the country’s biggest holiday, with temples and homes undergoing deep cleaning.
The upcoming Asian Zodiac Year of the Snake is heralded as a year of rebirth, hinting at reptilian shedding. In other parts of Asia, the Year of the Snake is then celebrated with the Lunar New Year.
Burj Khalifa fireworks on New Year’s Eve in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, January 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
In South Korea, celebratory events were scaled back or canceled during the national mourning period following Sunday’s traffic accident. Muan Jeju Air flight kills 179 people.
China and Russia exchange friendship
Chinese state media reported an exchange of New Year’s greetings between the leaders. Xi Jinping and the president of russia Vladimir Putin It is a reminder of the growing closeness between the two leaders, who face tensions with the West.
Pope Francis after celebrating New Year’s Eve Vespere and Te Deum in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican, Dec. 31, 2024 (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
According to state news agency Xinhua, Mr. Xi told Mr. Putin that the two countries would “always move forward hand in hand.”
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.
Celebrations by the sea and beyond
In India, thousands of revelers in the financial capital of Mumbai flocked to the city’s lively promenade on the Arabian Sea. In Sri Lanka, people gathered at Buddhist temples to pray by lighting oil lamps and incense sticks.
In Dubai, thousands of people attended a fireworks show at Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper. And in Nairobi, Kenya, the sound of scattered fireworks could be heard.
beginning of the jubilee
Rome’s traditional New Year’s Eve festivities have an added charm. Pope Francis’ Jubileethis quarterly festival is expected to draw approximately 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City in 2025.
On Tuesday, Francis celebrated Vespers in St. Peter’s Basilica. At Wednesday’s Mass, he is expected to once again appeal for peace in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Traditional New Year’s Eve swimmers swim in Lake Mosee in Mosedorf, Switzerland, December 31, 2024. (Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP)
January 1st is a day of obligation for Catholics to commemorate the Solemnity of Mary.
Watch the New Year’s countdown to 2025 live in London.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, about 400 Catholics joined the archbishop for an unusual Mass at 11 p.m., followed by a champagne reception at the city’s monumental cathedral.
“People have a tradition of getting up and toasting the new year, so we said, ‘Okay, let’s build on that,'” said the Rev. Joseph Johnson.
Paris regains Olympic spirit
Paris marked the end of 2024 with a traditional countdown and fireworks festival. Champs Elysées. The city’s iconic Arc de Triomphe monument has been transformed into a giant tableau for a light show that celebrates the city’s landmarks and the passage of time as the clock chimes.
“Paris is a party,” declared Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
Watch live as the New Year’s countdown to 2025 begins in New York.
of Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games Held in the French capital from July to September, the event transformed the city into a place of joy, camaraderie and amazing sporting achievements.
Winter weather, good or bad
Fireworks were set off along the River Thames in London to usher in the new year. and Storm bringing severe weather to other parts of the UKHowever, the festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, has been cancelled.
But in Switzerland and elsewhere, people braved the cold, taking off their clothes and jumping into the water in subzero temperatures.
Millions of people rejoice in Rio
Rio de Janeiro held Brazil’s main New Year’s Eve celebrations on Copacabana Beach, where barges set off fireworks for 12 consecutive minutes. Thousands of tourists on cruise ships and charter boats witnessed the show up close, and many more flocked to the sand to find their spot.
The Copacabana crowd is expected to exceed 2 million people, most of whom wore white to keep with tradition. They gathered to enjoy concerts by Brazilian music legends Caetano Veloso, Maria Betania, Ivete Sangallo and others. Immediately after the fireworks ended, Brazil’s biggest pop star, Anitta, appeared on stage.
“It’s so magical. It’s unbelievable,” tourist Alejandro Legarreta from Puerto Rico said after jumping into the sea.
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Graham McRae reported from Wellington, New Zealand. Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report.
