Victor Pourcher, edited by Solène Leroux
If we are impatiently awaiting the New Year in France, in several corners of the planet, it is already 2022! This is particularly the case for Pacific islands such as Samoa, in the middle of Oceania, 16,000 kilometers from Paris. It was the first territory to move on to the following year.
In a few hours in France, we will be living the last seconds of 2021. But some territories are already in 2022! This is particularly the case for several islands in the Pacific Ocean since 11 am this morning French time: the islands of Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati. “I hear the fireworks starting … Happy New Year from the Samoan Islands!” exclaims Tailani Salanoa. She is used to celebrating big events first with her family.
All the festivities in two parts
One of her sisters “lives in Hawaii”, so the festivities always take place in several installments, to the rhythm of the different time zones of the family. “We celebrate twice: once here, where she calls us” “, details this French speaker who runs a cafe, the” Little Seoul “in Apia, the capital of Samoa.” After we celebrate again with her and this time c ‘we call it. “So the Salanoa family does’ everything twice’ when it comes to celebrations.” We celebrate Christmas twice, we celebrate New Year twice, birthdays too … We are always the first, it’s nice, ”she concludes, as we hear the fireworks of the Samoan New Year behind.
If the Samoa Islands were the first to pass in 2022, conversely the province of Yukon in Canada will be the last to discover the next year. It will be at 7 am French time. The Pacific Islands were closely followed by New Zealand at noon and Australia at 2 p.m.