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First, at 11 o’clock, Swedish time, it struck midnight in the island nations of Samoa and parts of Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean. Only 26 hours later, 2021 will make its entrance around the world, as the uninhabited coral islands Baker-Howland Islands enter the new year.
At 12, Swedish time, it was New Zealand’s turn. Thousands of people had gathered on Victoria Street West in central Auckland to witness the fireworks that were fired from the Sky Tower around noon.
With the help of strict restrictions, the country has managed to keep the infection at levels well below those in Europe and the United States.
– We are very lucky to live in New Zealand, says Taufau Aukuso, who left the city with his 18-year-old daughter Rasela, to the New Zealand Herald.
Sydney, the Australian city of millions, was on tour at 2pm Swedish time, with its traditional massive New Years fireworks on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. However, the big crowds did not show up this year – the city has introduced new restrictions after a corona eruption with about 150 new cases.
Held in mask
In Wuhan, China, where the corona virus first appeared, thousands of people gathered to celebrate the new year, although the “real” Chinese New Year does not fall until February. Police had put up fences to avoid congestion at the city’s customs bell tower, but they didn’t help much when the crowd, especially young people, pressed in.
– 2020 has been a very difficult year for us, says local resident Xu Du to the AFP news agency.
Also in North Korea, the entrance of the new year was celebrated, and state television showed New Year celebrators in masks filling Kim Il-Sung Square in the capital Puyongyang to watch musical performances and fireworks.
In Dubai, the authorities have taken a less strict stance. Thousands of Emirates and tourists saw a pyrotechnic and laser show at the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, at 9 pm Swedish time.
Deferred curfew
Two hours later, at 11 p.m. Swedish time, the inhabitants of Beirut had to touch their glasses, as the usual nighttime curfew in honor of the day only occurs at three in the evening. Bars, restaurants and nightclubs are open and throw big parties to celebrate the New Year, and maybe even give a moment of oblivion after all the hardships in the wake of the big explosion in the port in August, which killed about 200 people, thousands of injured and equal parts of the Lebanese capital with the land.
When the clock strikes twelve in Sweden, Italians also celebrate the New Year. In Rome, a large bonfire is lit in the former Circus Maximus racecourse, which is broadcast live with a two-hour musical program, according to AFP.
Honor healthcare professionals
An hour later, American singer Patti Smith calls the New Year in London, which was hit hard during the pandemic.
The 74-year-old man will honor health professionals who have been victims of COVID-19 in a ceremony that is shown on a large television screen in Piccadilly Circus and broadcast on YouTube.
The celebration in New York’s Times Square won’t be the same either. Only a handful of guests, including paramedics and others who were on the front lines to fight the corona virus, will gather to witness the traditional crystal ball descending from the flagpole of a skyscraper.
Pontus Ahlkvist / TT
People are watching fireworks at Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea. Image: Jon Chol Jin / AP / TT
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