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Typically tens of thousands gather on the streets of Seoul, but this year they have only one record left: the ringing ceremony parties are canceled. An overview of the end of the year events.
A New Year’s Eve without fireworks and firecrackers, and above all without injuries, so as not to further overload the health system in the corona pandemic. That is the government’s plan. Therefore, the sale of firecrackers is prohibited this year, and in many places it is also prohibited to set off fireworks. However, not everyone sticks to this: the reports on the turn of the year at a glance.
Traditional ceremony in Seoul only on television this year
The citizens of Seoul had to give up the usual street parties at the end of the year this time due to the pandemic. The traditional ringing ceremony that the South Korean capital often uses to ring in the New Year was recorded without an audience and broadcast on television and social media. According to the city council, this ceremony has been held every year since 1953, the end of the three-year Korean War.
During the ritual, a large bronze bell in the Bosin (Bosingak) pavilion in the center of the metropolis is rung exactly 33 times since midnight. The number 33 symbolizes luck in Korea. This year’s record for chimes included New Year’s wishes from celebrities and ordinary citizens.
In recent years, tens of thousands have gathered on the streets of the city center on New Years Eve to listen to open-air concerts and watch the chimes live.
New Year’s fireworks in Sydney: heavy penalties threaten
The world-famous New Year’s Eve fireworks in the harbor of the Australian metropolis Sydney began and the New Year began at 2pm CET. Previously, the authorities wanted to deter viewers with heavy fines. Anyone trying to overcome the barriers in the port area risks a fine of A $ 1,000 (about 626 euros), it said on Thursday. Due to the corona pandemic, the New South Wales state government decided that this year spectators were not allowed to enter the harbor area at the famous Harbor Bridge.
The fireworks will be broadcast on television, but they will be smaller and, with a duration of seven minutes, significantly shorter. Typically, the Sydney Harbor Show attracts over a million people each year.
New Zealanders celebrate the New Year, non-stop
New Zealand has ushered in the New Year with a number of major music festivals and fireworks displays. Unlike many other countries, the island state in the South Pacific has not registered any local corona cases for more than a month. Therefore, the events could take place without restrictions on the number of visitors or other restrictions related to the crown.
In the country’s largest city, Auckland, there should be a light show around the Harbor Bridge and Sky Tower, followed by a five-minute fireworks show at midnight. One of the biggest New Year’s Eve events is the three-day Rhythm and Vines music festival, which takes place near the town of Gisborne, in the northeast of the North Island.
New Zealand considers itself successful in the fight against coronavirus thanks to early and strict measures. Since the start of the pandemic, 2,162 cases have been confirmed in the island state, 25 people have died from the pathogen Sars-CoV-2. The last case of local corona was registered in mid-November.
The first countries welcome the new year 2021
In the easternmost part of the world, 2021 has already begun: residents of the islands of Samoa and Kiribati in the South Seas were the first to ring in the New Year at 11 a.m. In both countries, the New Year’s mood is quite moderate due to corona pandemic. Although there should have been no corona infection in Kiribati and the first case was only reported in Samoa in mid-November, the public fireworks were canceled. Currently, foreign tourists cannot visit the South Pacific islands.
Both countries are also worried about the new year due to global climate change. The storms have caused flooding in Samoa’s capital, Apia. The 3,000 islands that make up Kiribati are battling floods due to rising water levels in the Pacific.
Melbourne celebrates the New Year with a street party
Due to the corona pandemic, this year there will be no fireworks on New Year’s Eve in Melbourne. Therefore, the Australian metropolis has considered an alternative: a street festival on New Years Eve and New Years Day will be celebrated according to the rules of Corona. Al fresco dining is allowed again, so restaurateurs should be able to offer their dishes in eleven different places in the city. This is reported by the Australian television station 9News.
“Although there will be no fireworks, we expect a city full of people celebrating,” said Mayor Sally Capp, the announcer. Usually hundreds of thousands come to the metropolis each year to celebrate the New Year. Due to the pandemic, far fewer tourists are expected this year.
Since the number of corona cases dropped dramatically after a strict shutdown, many restrictions in Melbourne and the state were lifted again. However, after there were some new cases recently, it is again mandatory to wear a mask in buildings from the beginning of the New Year. The borders with the other states were also closed again and the contact restrictions were tightened.
New Years greetings from space
The two Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station ISS wished their fellow men on earth a Happy New Year through a video message. The year 2020 was a test for the planet, Sergei Ryschkow said in the video that the Russian space agency Roskosmos released late Thursday. But it has also been shown “that every pandemic is powerless when humanity unites in the fight for what is most important to us: life.”
His colleague Sergej Kud-Swertschkow recalled that it was already the 20th time that space travelers on the ISS have experienced a New Year.
There are currently seven astronauts in humanity’s outpost. Because the ISS circled the earth 16 times on New Years Eve this year, the crew can start the New Year 16 times. The ISS orbits the planet every hour and a half.
Man was mortally wounded while making firecrackers
Firecracker accident in Schleswig-Holstein: A young man was seriously injured in Eckernförde. The winter garden, in which he handled the chemicals on Tuesday, was destroyed and the parents’ home suffered significant damage, police said. The 19-year-old suffered severe burns. He was reportedly taken to a special clinic in Lübeck. According to a police spokesman, life was in danger.
Wehrführer Meint Behrmann of the Eckernförde volunteer fire brigade said the fire was already out when the comrades arrived. There must have been a jet of flame, but the fire was probably extinguished due to the strong pressure wave. The house was damaged in the explosion at the rear of the garden, but it is still habitable. Neighboring houses were reportedly unaffected.
A firecracker detonates on a balcony and goes through the wall of the house
A firecracker thrown onto a balcony by strangers smashed through the wall of a house in Krefeld. The 22-year-old resident was outside shortly before, police said Tuesday. When the firecracker flew onto his balcony, he was able to quickly close the door. The firecracker detonated and hit the wall of the room. No one was injured in the incident Monday night.
According to police, the woman had previously observed two men on the street exchanging something with each other. Shortly after, the firecracker flew onto his balcony. The two men continued and lit more firecrackers. The police were looking for witnesses.
North Rhine-Westphalia: cigarette machine exploded with firecrackers
Two perpetrators blew up a cigarette machine in Bocholt, Münsterland, with a firecracker. According to police on Tuesday, it was initially unclear whether the unknowns made a loot. Officials put the damage from the explosion at around 1,000 euros. Witnesses observed the perpetrators Monday night. The criminal police are investigating.
