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The turn of the year has already been celebrated on the other side of the globe. In this country, the festivals are yet to come.
More than half a day before Switzerland, people in the South Pacific have already celebrated New Year’s Eve. The residents of the island of Kiritimati, which belongs to the Kiribati archipelago, were the first in the world to start the new year on Saturday at 11 a.m. Swiss time. Little by little, more and more people around the world are toasting to 2023.
In New Zealand, where most events were canceled last year due to Corona, firecrackers were shot into the sky again for the first time. The highlight is the fireworks from the Sky Tower in Auckland at 12 noon Central European Time (CET).
Legend:
The New Year begins with a bang: fireworks over the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand.
Keystone/Dean Purcel/NZ Herald via AP
Two hours later (2 p.m. CET), the traditional giant fireworks display at the turn of the year was ignited in Sydney, Australia. A rainbow waterfall is the focal point of the eight-tonne fireworks show ahead of Sydney WorldPride, which kicks off in the metropolis in February.
According to the broadcaster ABC, it was assumed that more than a million people wanted to see the spectacle in front of the famous backdrop of the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House – as many as there were at the New Year’s Eve parties in Sydney before the start of the corona pandemic. Numerous visitors had already moved into seats with a good view of the harbor early in the morning.
In the South Korean capital of Seoul, the New Year was traditionally rung in with 33 bells. According to reports from South Korean broadcasters, tens of thousands of people gathered in the center of the metropolis to hear the sound of the Bosingak bell, which was over three meters high, on Sunday night.
Because of the corona pandemic, the bell ringing ceremony had only been seen on television and social media for the past two years.
Legend:
During the ritual action, a large bronze bell in the Bosin Pavilion (Bosingak) is struck exactly 33 times starting at midnight. The number 33 symbolizes good luck in Korea.
KEYSTONE/Jeon Heon-Kyun/Pool photo via AP
In Switzerland too, for the first time since the turn of the year 2019/20, celebrations have been celebrated without corona-related restrictions. In Zurich, the “New Year’s Eve Magic” will take place again to the usual extent. In the previous two years, the celebration had to be canceled entirely.
Fireworks over Lake Zurich
Around 150,000 people are now expected in Zurich for New Year’s Eve magic at the lake basin. The festivities with stands and bars already start in the afternoon. The highlight is the fireworks at midnight. The S-Bahn and buses of the Zurich transport association bring the revelers home with an expanded night timetable.
In numerous other Swiss cities, the New Year’s Eve celebrations are taking place again as usual. In Lucerne, for example, there are again the traditional fireworks over the lake basin – as usual, however, only on New Year’s Eve, not on New Year’s Eve. The event begins on Sunday at 8:15 p.m.
Basel and Bern without big fireworks
There should have been fireworks again this year in Basel, but it was canceled due to a lack of sponsors. The rest of the celebrations take place.
The city of Bern also manages without large fireworks. Fireworks have been banned in the city center and on the adjacent bridges in Bern since July 2021. In previous years, sensitive scenes had repeatedly occurred in the old town. The safety distances to people, buildings and combustible materials could not be maintained in the center.