New Year’s Eve around the globe – 2024 is here or coming: This is how the world celebrates the turn of the year – News


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Depending on the time zone, the New Year started earlier or later. American Samoa has not yet celebrated.

The South Seas are more than half a day ahead of Switzerland. This is how the population of the island started Kiritimatiwhich is part of the Kiribati archipelago, starts the New Year 2024 at 11 a.m. Swiss time. With every hour that passes, more people can toast the turn of the year.

An hour after Kiritimati we celebrated New Zealand as well as the island states Samoa and Tonga the turn of the year into 2024. In New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, the 328 meter high Sky Tower was at the center of an elaborate light show with 500 kilograms of pyrotechnics.

Against the world-famous backdrop of the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House Australian Sydney The sky was already flickering at 9 p.m. local time for the spectacular New Year’s Eve party.

Fireworks.

Legend:

The magnificent New Year’s fireworks in Sydney. Around a billion people around the world traditionally watch on screens.

Keystone/EPA/DAN HIMBRECHTS

There were also gigantic light spectacles in many Asian cities, including… Singapore. In Bangkok The mighty Chao Phraya River was once again at the center of the celebrations, in which the lights of the mega fireworks are traditionally reflected. Thailand, which follows the Buddhist calendar, starts in the year 2567.

Also in China The turn of the year was celebrated, albeit more quietly than elsewhere. After all, according to the traditional lunar calendar, the new year doesn’t begin until February 10th. Only then does the family celebrate extensively and a huge wave of travel begins that moves hundreds of millions of people across the country.

In the Chinese Special Administrative Regions Hong Kong and Macau New Year’s Eve has a higher significance. In Hong Kong, tens of thousands gathered around Victoria Harbor to marvel at the large fireworks display. Numerous large parties also took place in the casino city of Macau.

Fireworks over a skyline. In the foreground is the harbor basin.

Legend:

Fireworks explode over Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong.

REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

In front of the Brandenburg Gate Berlin Tens of thousands celebrated the New Year – with fireworks for the first time since Corona. But things didn’t remain peaceful everywhere. For example, near Alexanderplatz, several hundred young people attacked each other with pyrotechnics. Elsewhere, a police car was shot at with fireworks and was badly damaged. The authorities had prepared themselves for riots and mobilized around 4,000 police forces for New Year’s Eve.

While in the Bernese community of Laupen in the Switzerland When the “Bäsemanne” paraded through the streets with grotesque masks and made a noise, thousands of onlookers flocked to the lake in Zurich. There, around 10,000 rockets flickered the sky over the lake basin. Fireworks also took place in Geneva and smaller towns – but not in Bern since 2021.

An hour later the bell rang London Big Ben welcomes in the New Year – for the 100th time also live on the British broadcaster BBC.

And also Greenland started in 2024, from remote Ittoqqortoormiit to the capital Nuuk.

We finally welcomed everyone at 6 a.m. Swiss time new York the New Year – with a colorful shower of confetti over Times Square. Hundreds of thousands of people were showered by the scraps of paper. While it was shivering in New York with just over 0 degrees, partygoers could Brazilian Rio de Janeiro Jump into the waves in summer temperatures just in time for the New Year.

Confetti flies in New York's Times Square at midnight.

Legend:

When the clock finally struck midnight in New York, colorful confetti fluttered over the revelers in Times Square.

Keystone/Yuki Iwamura

American Samoalocated just 220 kilometers east of Samoa on the other side of the International Date Line, will be the last country to ring in 2024 – twelve hours after Switzerland.

This is what heads of state say at the turn of the year


Open the box
Close the box

The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz In his New Year’s speech he was optimistic, despite the challenges of the time. «We can also cope with headwinds. That doesn’t make the challenges of our time any smaller.” He spoke out in favor of more cooperation between all people in Germany.

For France, 2024 is shown by President Emmanuel Macron a year of pride and hope. “You only rebuild a cathedral once in a millennium,” he said, alluding to the reopening of Notre-Dame after a devastating fire. France will also host the Summer Olympics in 2024.

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized in his New Year’s address that Ukraine and the Ukrainian people have become stronger. At the beginning of 2023 they survived the “hardest winter in history” and proved that “Ukrainians are tougher than cold and darkness and stronger than all blockades and vetoes.”

The Russian President Wladimir Putin called for Russian unity and perseverance at the turn of the year. “We have shown more than once that we can solve the most difficult tasks and never back down, because there is no force that can divide us,” said the Kremlin leader in his televised speech. Putin also thanked the soldiers for their efforts in the war he ordered against neighboring Ukraine.

At his prayer on New Year’s Eve Sunday Pope Francis the year 2023 will be marked by wars and suffering. He said he prays for the people of Ukraine, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Sudan and many other countries. “Those who have an interest in these conflicts, listen to the voice of conscience,” urged the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Xi Jinpingthe President of the People’s Republic of China, reaffirmed his country’s economic recovery in his TV speech.

In North Korea, leaders resigned Kim Jong Un to launch three new spy satellites, build military drones and increase the nuclear arsenal. US policy is making war inevitable, he claimed.

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