Out with old, in with new, one country at a time
As world enjoys its party, 2016’s tough lessons are learnt
As 2016 drew to a close in the UAE, the celebrations in other parts of the world had been under way for hours.
Australia used the festivities to pay homage to the late David Bowie and Prince, with fireworks set to a medley of their music.
The seven tons of fireworks launched from barges in Sydney Harbour also included a “Willy Wonka moment” in tribute to the late actor Gene Wilder’s most famous role.
“This year, sadly, we saw the loss of many music and entertainment legends around the world,” said fireworks co- producer Catherine Flanagan.
“Celebrating their music as part of Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks displays is an opportunity to reflect on the year that has been and what the future may hold.”
With about 1.5 million revellers around Sydney Harbour and memories of the terrorist attacks in Berlin and Nice still fresh, an additional 2,000 police officers were on duty and some pedestrian areas were blocked off.
In Japan, temple bells rang out at midnight as families gathered to eat soba noodles, the standard New Year’s Eve dish, before driving to a shrine which, like temples all over the country, were filled with those praying for good fortune in the Year of the Rooster, according to the Chinese zodiac.
In China, however, residents of Beijing and Shanghai, the two largest cities, passed New Year’s Eve in virtual lockdown.
Authorities banned celebrations along the Bund waterfront in Shanghai and the sale, use and transportation of fireworks. Two years ago, more than 30 people died in a stampede on Shanghai’s waterfront, where 300,000 people had gathered to watch a light show.
This year, large buildings often used to display light shows were dark.
In Beijing, police forbade countdowns, light shows, lotteries and other organised activities held in shopping districts.
In Seoul, more than 500,000 South Koreans ushered in the new year with another protest calling for the arrest and removal of impeached president Park Geun-Hye.
Carrying candles and waving banners, they chanted: “Park Geun-hye step down. Go to prison now”.
The traditional bell-tolling ceremony at the Bosinkgak pavilion at midnight also became a political statement.
One of the guests invited by mayor of Seoul Park Won-soon was a man whose teenage son was among more than 300 people who died in a 2014 ferry sinking.
Ms Park was criticised for the way her government handled the disaster.
New Year’s Eve in India is primarily a time for family, but thousands flocked to the Gateway of India, a colonial-era structure on the Mumbai waterfront overlooking the Arabian Sea, for a party with music, dancing and fireworks. In the US state of Nevada, the famed desert city of Las Vegas pulled out all the stops with an eight-minute firework display from casino roofs.