Fireworks, food and prayers: New year celebrated around the world

New year celebrations in Russia were hampered by technical difficulties as Palace Square in St Petersburg was temporarily evacuated and a 25-metre (80ft) Christmas tree in the east of the country went up in flames. Meanwhile, in Moscow, the weather was less than festive.

Usually festooned with snow on New Year’s Eve, the Russian capital this year is enduring a long spell of intermittent rain and constant grey skies, but that did not stop the spectacular firework display from going ahead as planned above Red Square.

Messages are projected on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building, on New Year’s Eve.

Dubai’s 828-metre Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, has once more served as the focal point of New Year’s Eve celebrations in the United Arab Emirates, though this year authorities decided against fireworks and chose a massive LED light show.

The display, running down the east side of the tower, displayed Arabic calligraphy, geometric designs and a portrait of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s first president.

But a display of neighbouring nations’ flags did not show Qatar’s flag due to the ongoing dispute over ties to Iran and the alleged funding of extremist groups.

Meanwhile, India welcomed in the new year with midnight celebrations at popular landmarks, temples, mosques, gurdwaras and churches.

In Delhi, the festivities in Connaught Place came with heightened security as police conducted breathalyser tests, while emphasis was placed on ensuring the safety of women.

In Amritsar, the Golden Temple was lit up to mark the arrival of 2018. Although the festivities in Mumbai were expected to be somewhat muted following a blaze in a restaurant that killed 14 earlier this week, millions took to the streets and revellers appeared to be in high spirits on Marine Drive.

As the clock struck midnight in India, WhatsApp went down, hitting the messaging service’s biggest market, with about 200 million of its billion-plus users. Users expressed their frustration on social media although normal service resumed about an hour later.

People watch fireworks over Sydney harbour.

Several hours earlier, fireworks lit up the sky above Sydney harbour for the city’s new year celebrations, where an extravagant display included a rainbow waterfall cascade of lights and colour to celebrate the recent legislation legalising gay marriage in Australia.

Security at the event was tight, but officials said there was no particular alert. It was estimated that almost half of those attending the celebrations were tourists.

In New Zealand, tens of thousands of people took to the streets and beaches, becoming among the first in the world to usher in 2018.

Fireworks in Auckland, New Zealand.

Fireworks boomed and crackled above city centres and harbours, and partygoers sang, hugged, danced and kissed. In Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city, tens of thousands gathered around Sky Tower as five minutes of nonstop pyrotechnics exploded from the top of the 220-metre structure.

But on nearby Waiheke Island, 20 miles away, authorities cancelled a planned fireworks display because of drought conditions and low water supplies for firefighters.

In Taierzhuang of Zaozhuang City, east China's Shandong Province, people perform lion dance in celebration of the new year.

Lion dance performed in E China to greet new year

In Singapore, people huddled under umbrellas to watch fireworks light up Marina Bay. Planned outdoor dance workouts and yoga reportedly had to be cancelled, but some still braved the weather to see in the new year.

People shelter under umbrellas during Singapore’s fireworks display.

Many Japanese people were celebrating the arrival of the Year of the Dog by praying for peace and good fortune at Shinto shrines, and eating traditional new year food such as noodles, shrimp and sweet black beans.

Shinto priests walk in a line to attend a ritual to usher in the new year in Tokyo.

Barbecued beef and octopus dumpling stalls were set out at Tokyo’s Zojoji temple, where people take turns striking the giant bell 108 times at midnight, an annual practice repeated at other Buddhist temples throughout Japan.

In South Korea, thousands of people were expected to fill the streets near Seoul’s city hall for a traditional bell-tolling ceremony to usher in the new year.

The group of dignitaries picked to ring the old Bosingak bell at midnight included Soohorang and Bandabi – the tiger and bear mascots for the Pyeongchang Winter Games and Paralympics in February and March.

(THE GUARDIAN)