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Like almost every country in the world, European countries, including Austria, will start the new year quite cautiously. Many parties and fireworks have been canceled around the world, including the classic festivities in Amsterdam, London, New York and Rio de Janeiro. In some countries there were hardly any restrictions.
In Germany, for example, there is a tough closure with shops, restaurants and bars closed, while in Italy and France tougher measures with night-out bans also prevailed.
Because the corona pandemic is under control in China and there are hardly any infections, the new year in the People’s Republic began without major restrictions, we reported. However, New Year’s Eve is also not a particularly important holiday for the Chinese. According to your traditional lunar calendar, the new year doesn’t start until February.
Only then does a great wave of travel begin, in which hundreds of millions travel the country to visit their families. Only then is there a great celebration. However, in some cities fireworks went off at midnight on Friday. One was also planned in Wuhan, the city of the crown bud. But there was also practically normality in New Zealand.
Samoa made the start
After Samoans were the first to celebrate the New Year at 11:00 AM CET, fireworks went off in New Zealand an hour later at 12:00 PM CET. Unlike many other countries, the island nation in the South Pacific has not registered any local corona cases for more than a month. Therefore, music festivals and fireworks shows were held with no limits on the number of visitors or other restrictions.
No spectators were allowed to view the fireworks at 2pm CET at Sydney Harbor and the Australian Opera. The authorities threatened fines equivalent to more than 620 euros if someone overcomes barriers. Sydney was like a ghost town, watchers reported. The world famous fireworks lasted only seven minutes instead of twelve like the previous year.
Photo Gallery: This is how Sydney 2021 received
See image gallery
Photo gallery: Fireworks without spectators: Sydney welcomed the year 2021
Image: AFP
In the following hours, the countries of Asia gradually followed: at 4 pm Japan and South Korea were on their way. In the South Korean capital Seoul, for the first time in nearly seven decades, the traditional bell-ringing ceremony at the Bosin Pavilion (Bosingak) could only be seen on television and on social media.
The turn of the year followed at 5 p.m. in the Philippines and Malaysia, as well as in Taiwan and China. There are no major crown restrictions in China anymore. However, New Year’s Eve is not particularly important to the Chinese either. According to your traditional lunar calendar, the new year doesn’t start until February. Only then is there a big wave of travel. However, fireworks went off in some cities on Friday morning. Something was also planned in Wuhan, the city of the crown bud. At 6 p.m. Thailand and Vietnam entered 2021.
Spectacular fireworks in Dubai
At 9:00 pm CET, the New Year began in the United Arab Emirates. A spectacular fireworks display was planned in Dubai at the tallest building in the world, the 828-meter-high Burdj Khalifa. Despite the Corona curfew, there should be a huge fireworks display in the Moscow Kremlin at 10:00 pm CET.
In South America, people have to be patient a bit longer: parts of Brazil and Argentina can’t start the New Year until 4:00 a.m. CET, followed by New York at 6:00 a.m., Los Angeles at 9 a.m. 12:00 am and Honolulu in Hawaii at 11:00 am
In New York, the “Ball Drop” in Times Square, a sparkling crystal ball falling onto a pole, is said to take place in front of a few people instead of the usual thousands. The place was cordoned off.
It takes until 1pm CET on January 1 for the whole world to slide into the new year. Finally, there are the uninhabited islets of Baker Island and Howland Island in the Pacific.
