New Year Prayers for Disaster-Free Times – Mainichi Newspaper”>Ring in 2025: Global Celebrations Kicked Off from Asia to Antarctica
People around the world are already welcoming the New Year 2025, with dazzling displays of light and sound from Tokyo to Rio de Janeiro, despite challenges posed by weather and recent tragedies.
Asia Lights Up the Night Sky
In Japan, where residents typically visit temples, some revelers rang in the new year by striking a temple bell 108 times, a tradition said to expel 108 human sins. Meanwhile, in South Korea, celebrations were subdued following the recent air disaster in Muan, with many events cancelled out of respect for the victims.
The New Year arrived in China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and other Asian nations. In Dubai, the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, was the centerpiece of a spectacular light and water show, while in Armenia, priests blessed families with pomegranates, a symbol of abundance and prosperity.
A Global New Year’s Eve
From Kyrgyzstan to India, the first seconds of the new year ticked away. Russia, too, bid farewell to 2024, with Moscow lighting up its famous Red Square and Saint Petersburg’s Neva River embankment filled with excited crowds.
On the other side of the globe, Antarctica’s East Ongul Island, home to a year-round research station, also welcomed 2025. In Africa, Madagascar’s residents rang in the New Year, as did those in Turkey and the Eastern European nation of Azerbaijan.
Big Night In Rio, Weather Holds Back Britain
In Brazil, an estimated 2.5 million people gathered on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate, generating a significant economic boost for the city, the second most populous in Brazil after São Paulo.
However, not all celebrations went as planned. In the United Kingdom, severe weather conditions forced some cities to cancel or postpone new year’s eve fireworks and events. London, though, vowed to proceed with its festivities despite heavy winds and rain.
