The World Welcomes 2025 with Celebrations and Fireworks

From Oceania to the Middle East, East Asia, Europe, and now North America, the world has welcomed the year 2025 with fireworks and light displays. Auckland in New Zealand was the first major city to celebrate the arrival of 2025 with thousands gathering in the city center. The countries of the South Pacific were the first to bid farewell to 2024, as midnight on Tuesday in New Zealand arrived 18 hours earlier than midnight on Tuesday and the moment of the New Year in New York. The new year has begun amid bloody wars in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Sudan. The Sydney Harbour Bridge and its surroundings saw over a million people gather to watch the fireworks, with British pop star Robbie Williams performing for the crowd. The celebration in Sydney Harbour also included programs from Australia's Indigenous peoples, honoring the original inhabitants of the land. Donald Trump, the elected President of the United States, celebrated the New Year at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida, alongside his wife, family, and political supporters like Elon Musk. Mr. Trump, who is set to take power in the White House in 19 days, stated that those who have taken Israeli citizens hostage should release them sooner. He also announced that he would attend the funeral of Jimmy Carter, who passed away two days ago at the age of 100. Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, expressed confidence in a New Year message that Donald Trump 'is both willing and able' to facilitate peace between Ukraine and Russia. Zelensky stated in a video message that his country is aware that peace will not come cheaply but 'will do everything to stop Russian aggression and the war.' He warned against getting too close to Russia, saying, 'Even if Russia shakes your hand today, it does not mean it will not act to destroy you tomorrow.' Chinese state media reported on the exchange of New Year greetings between Xi Jinping, the leader of China, and Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, indicating a growing closeness between the two countries amid rising tensions with the West. According to the official Xinhua news agency, Mr. Xi told Putin that China and Russia will always stand hand in hand. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, China has maintained its political and trade relations with Russia and has not joined Western sanctions and pressures to isolate Moscow. Ahmad al-Shara, the de facto leader of Syria, met with Christian clergy on New Year's Eve, marking the first year since the fall of the Assad family's 54-year rule in the country. He stated that a free Syria is a country for followers of all religions to live, and Christians enjoy full freedom to hold all their celebrations and rituals. In recent days, at least one new church for Christians has opened in Afrin in the Kurdish region of Aleppo. Many areas in Japan were closed in anticipation of the New Year, with people cleaning temples and homes. The year 2025 in Asian astrology is the Year of the Snake, symbolizing shedding skin and rebirth. However, New Year celebrations in South Korea were canceled or lacked grandeur due to a recent plane crash in the country that left 179 dead. In Mumbai, considered the economic capital of India, thousands flocked to the bustling area near the Arabian Sea. Hindus began the first day of the New Year by diving into the Ganges River with the intention of cleansing themselves of sins and being blessed. Thousands of Indian pilgrims also started the New Year in Jammu and Kashmir by visiting the 'Mata Vaishno Devi' temple, which is sacred to them. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, expressed hope that this year would be filled with 'new opportunities, success, and endless joy' for approximately one and a half billion people in his country. In Sri Lanka, people gathered in Buddhist temples to light candles and pray. In Dubai, thousands attended the fireworks display at the Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world. In Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, fireworks continued from the start of the night until midnight. Paris ended 2024, a historic year for the city, with a fireworks display on the Champs-Élysées. The Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games, held from July to September 2024 in the French capital, had made Paris a place of joy and significant sports achievements. The historic Notre-Dame Cathedral, which was destroyed in a fire, reopened after restoration in 2024. Times Square in New York was the scene of thousands gathering hours before midnight on Tuesday, starting the countdown to the end of the year. American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States in the western Pacific, will be one of the last places to welcome 2025, exactly 24 hours after New Zealand. Thousands of Israelis celebrated the New Year with festivities and concerts, mainly in the center of the country. These celebrations coincided with the seventh night of the eight-day festival of Hanukkah. There were concerns that the sound of sirens warning of Houthi missile attacks would disrupt these celebrations for a few minutes, but the events in central Israel proceeded peacefully, with no missiles fired at the country from Yemen. However, remaining Hamas militants from Gaza fired two rockets towards southern Israel at midnight, one of which was intercepted and the other landed in an open area. The settlement of 'Nativ Ha'Asara,' located a few kilometers from Gaza, was apparently the target of this short-range rocket attack.