While the world is gearing up to greet the New Year at the stroke of midnight on December 31, it is not greeted at the same time around the planet. Thanks to the rotation of the Earth and the existence of the International Date Line, the start of the New Year marches around the planet over approximately 26 hours.
Where does the new year arrive first?
The privilege of ringing in the new year belongs to Kiritimati Island, also called Christmas Island, which belongs to Kiribati and follows the UTC+14 time zone. Located west of the International Date Line, Kiritimati Island experiences the dawn of the new year before the rest of the world. Not much fuss surrounds the celebration here, but it does signify the first occurrence of the new year in the world.
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Early celebrations in Oceania
Next comes New Zealand, particularly Auckland and Wellington, in UTC+13. The Auckland Sky Tower fireworks are some of the first major ones around the globe. The Chatham Islands celebrate the New Year ahead of the mainland.
Next come the fireworks in Sydney’s iconic Harbour in Australia’s UTC+11 time zone. Other cities in Australia, such as Melbourne and Brisbane, hold their countdowns in their time zones, making it among the countries whose New Year countdown is highly followed around the globe.
East and Southeast Asia get on board
In Japan and South Korea, where the time difference is UTC+9, the New Year, or "Oshogatsu" in Japan, combines traditional and modern celebrations. In Japan, there are temple bell ceremonies, whereas in South Korea, there are huge concerts and events.
Moving further westwards, China, Singapore, and Hong Kong (UTC+8) celebrate the night by lighting fireworks and city events, although the Lunar New Year has more significance in China.
India’s moment in the global New Year countdown
India follows UTC+5:30 and celebrates the New Year after East Asian countries but before European nations. The nights in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Goa light up with concerts and gatherings as India is at a prime position in the world's New Year celebrations.
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Europe to the Americas
Europe covers a lot of time zones, so starting with London at UTC+0, moving eastward to Paris and Berlin, where millions throng the streets in all three cities for huge public celebrations.
Not far behind, South America is next from UTC-3 to UTC-5 with vibrant celebrations, obviously at Rio de Janeiro's world-famous Copacabana Beach. Attention worldwide is concentrated on the famous Times Square Ball Drop in New York - UTC-5 - in North America.
The last celebrations
The New Year wave ends in American Samoa and the Baker and Howland Islands at UTC-12. These locations quite literally mark the final New Year countdowns, officially closing international celebrations of the passing year, nearly a full day after Kiribati.
