December 31, 11 a.m.: “Samoa: the country where the sun sets last” – the small Pacific island state halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii had marketed itself with this slogan for years. Because until the end of 2011, the almost 200,000 inhabitants of Samoa lived east of the date line – 23 hours behind New Zealand and a whole day behind the Tonga Islands, although they are only 900 kilometers southwest of Samoa. But in the last four years everything has changed.
Samoa is now one of the regions where people are the first to welcome in the New Year. Even before it’s New Year’s Eve in Germany, the champagne corks will be popping a good 15,000 kilometers south-east at 11 a.m. CET. Independent Samoa shifted the international date line eastwards at midnight on December 29, 2011, thus switching sides, so to speak.
Advantage: The former German colony thus once again belongs to the same time zone as its most important trading partners, New Zealand and Australia. Disadvantage: The eastern islands of the group – American Samoa – belong to the USA and thus now to a different time zone. Around 11:15 a.m the Chatham Islands, which belong to New Zealand, change into the new year.
31.12., 12 p.m.: Now the corks are already popping in New Zealand and on the Fiji Islands. A part of north-eastern Russia is also slipping into the new year.
December 31, 1 p.m.: At 1 p.m. our time, the people of South Tarawa in Kiribati, Nauru, other parts of north-eastern Russia and the Marshall Islands slide into the New Year.
Most of Australia celebrates the New Year at 2 p.m. German time
December 31, 2 p.m.: Sydney (Australia) and Vladivostok (Russia) are allowed to celebrate the New Year.
31.12., 3 p.m.: Brisbane follows Sydney into the New Year in Australia. Papua New Guinea, Vladivostok in Russia and Guam (US territory in Micronesia) are now also writing the year 2023.
31.12., 4 p.m.: Japan is lagging behind. In the temples and shrines, the Japanese traditionally ask for luck, health and success for the new year. Exactly at midnight, i.e. 4 p.m. German time, the temple bells ring 108 times, ringing in the new year. Also North Korea and Palau end 2022 and start 2023.
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31.12., 5 p.m.: All of China and the Philippines celebrate the New Year at 5 p.m. Central European Time.
31.12., 6 p.m.: Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and large parts of Indonesia reach 2023.
31.12., 7 p.m.: Five hours before Germany, for example, the people in Bhutan, the happiest country in the world, and Bangladesh start the new year. Around 7:15 p.m follows Nepal to 7.30 p.m India and Sri Lanka.
31.12., 8 p.m.: At eight o’clock in the evening it becomes paradisiacal: because now the Maldives are starting the new year. With them, Pakistan and some French Southern and Antarctic Territories welcome 2023. Um 8.30 p.m follows Afghanistan.
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Insular New Year: Seychelles, Mauritius and Reunion Island celebrate 2023
31.12., 9 p.m.: It continues like paradise: At 9:00 p.m. German time, the Seychelles, Mauritius and La Réunion celebrate the New Year. From now on, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Armenia and parts of Georgia will also write the year 2023. Iran will follow suit 9:30 p.m.
31.12., 10 p.m.: Russia is still not quite in the new year. But Moscow has now made it. At the same time, people in large parts of Africa, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Bahrain are celebrating.
31.12., 11 p.m.: Just an hour ahead of Germany, people in parts of South Africa, Greece, Egypt and Cyprus are ringing in the new year.
Happy New Year! Germany slips into 2023
1.1., 12:00 a.m.: Cheers! Together with Germany, the new year is now beginning in 45 other nations. In addition to our neighboring countries also in Tunisia, Gibraltar, Nigeria, Malta and the Vatican.
1.1., 1.00 a.m.: Great Britain, parts of Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Morocco, among others, are now starting the new year with an hour “delay”.
1.1., 2 a.m.: Cabo Verde and the Azores and other small areas of Greenland follow.
1.1., 3.00 a.m.: From now on, the first people in Brazil are celebrating the new year with a bang.
1.1., 4.00 a.m.: Other parts of Brazil follow, along with Argentina, Uruguay, some parts of Chile and most of Greenland. Around 4:30 a.m followed by the parts of Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada).
1.1., 5.00 a.m.: Now things are going really well again. The new year begins in 28 parts of the world, including parts of Canada and many countries in Latin America, such as the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Guadeloupe. Even small parts of Greenland are still moving up.
The new year in the USA begins at 6 a.m. German time
1.1., 6.00 a.m.: Peru, Panama, Cuba, Jamaica and the first big wave of states in the USA (after Guam, which already started the new year at 3 p.m.) start the new year. In New York, for example, where people traditionally celebrate the New Year in Times Square.
1.1., 7.00 a.m.: Other states of the USA as well as Costa Rica, Mexico City and Guatemala follow.
1.1., 8.00 a.m.: The United States of America is following suit, along with parts of Canada and parts of Mexico.
1.1., 9.00 a.m.: It’s still going on in the US, for example in Los Angeles, Canada and Mexico.
1.1., 10.00 a.m.: Now the people of Alaska and parts of French Polynesia are also celebrating the New Year.
1.1., 11.00 a.m.: While we Germans are already preparing lunch, the last parts of the USA, including for example Hawaii, the rest of French Polynesia and Tahiti, will follow us into the year 2023.
1.1., 12.00 p.m.: American Samoa is now starting the new year more than a full day later than the rest of the island.
1.1., 1 p.m.: Baker and Howland Islands, which are part of the US, are the last to start 2023.
More about New Year’s Eve 2023:
Parties and magnificent fireworks: After two years with pandemic restrictions, the New Year’s Eve celebrations are almost the same again around the world this time. But the number of accidents caused by firecrackers is also increasing. All news about New Year’s Eve can be found here in the Newsticker.
During the corona pandemic, firecracker and rocket shooting was not possible on New Year’s Eve 2020 and New Year’s Eve 2021. For the most part, there were curfews and a ban on firecrackers. Everything will be different this year. For the first time, many fireworks items are already sold out on the first day of sale. FOCUS online knows the details.