How world welcomed the new year
Fireworks, chimes and demonstrations
FIREWORKS, concerts, spiritual services and political addresses abounded to mark the transition to 2019 as revellers around the globe bade farewell on Monday to a year filled with challenges to many of the world’s most basic institutions, including in the realms of politics, trade, alliances and religion.
CAPE TOWN
There were 11 designated fireworks sites the public accessed on New Year’s Eve. Beaches, party clubs and pubs were full as the countdown began.
At the V&A Waterfront fireworks signalled the start of the new 365 days.
NEW YORK
A drenching rain couldn’t keep crowds from packing Times Square for the traditional crystal ball drop and a string of star performances.
Christina Aguilera pumped up the crowd, performing in a snow-white dress and coat while partygoers danced in their rain ponchos.
RIO DE JANEIRO
More than 2 million people celebrated the new year on Copacabana beach in the Brazil city.
A 14-minute fireworks display ushered Brazil into 2019 only hours before far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro was due to be sworn in as president.
Many Brazilians were on the road to the capital of Brasilia on Monday night to watch the former army captain’s inauguration yesterday afternoon.
LONDON
Britons ushered in the new year with the familiar chimes of Big Ben, even though the world famous clock has been disconnected for more than a year because of a conservation project.
Parliament announced last week that the clock’s massive bell would sound to mark the new year with the help of a specially built electric mechanism to power the hammer, which weighs about 200kg.
The clock mechanism, which has kept time since 1859, has been dismantled as part of the renovation work.
PARIS
Parisians and tourists gathered on the Champs-Élysées to celebrate New Year’s Eve under heavy security.
Anti-government protesters from the yellow vest movement have issued calls on social media for “festive” demonstrations on the famous avenue.
BERLIN
Tens of thousands of people 0celebrated the start of 2019 at Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate.
The annual New Year celebrations took place amid tight security, with about 1 300 officers deployed throughout the heart of the German capital and revellers banned from taking fireworks, bottles or large bags into the fenced-off party zone.
THAILAND
While many celebrated New Year’s Eve with fireworks, hundreds of Thais travelled to Takien Temple in a suburb of Bangkok to lie inside coffins for traditional funeral rituals.
Participants believe the ceremony – symbolising death and rebirth – helps rid them of bad luck and allows them to be born again for a fresh start in the new year.
They held flowers and incense in their hands as monks covered them with pink sheets and chanted prayers for the dead.
CHINA
New Year’s Eve isn’t celebrated widely in mainland China, where the lunar New Year in February is a more important holiday. But countdown events were held in major cities, and some of the faithful headed to Buddhist temples for bell-ringing and prayers.
Beijing held a gala with VIP guests at the main site of the 2008 Summer Olympics. The event looked ahead to the 2022 Winter Games, which will also be held in the Chinese capital.