The world welcomes the New Year

As the clock strikes the final seconds of the old year, people around the world eagerly await the arrival of the New Year. Each place celebrates in its own way, each person carries personal wishes, yet all share a common hope for a year that is peaceful, fulfilling, and more prosperous than the last.

Asia: Solemn Yet Warm

In Tokyo, New Year’s Eve is unusually quiet. Red lanterns flicker softly, candlelight glows inside Senso-ji Temple, and crowds make their way to perform Hatsumode, praying for peace and good fortune for their families. The scent of fresh ginger, boiling water from street kitchens, and the sound of people slurping bowls of Toshikoshi soba create an atmosphere that is both solemn and comforting.

At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, all Buddhist temples across Japan simultaneously ring their bells 108 times to welcome the New Year.

In South Korea, families gather around ancestral altars to perform charye, then share bowls of steaming tteokguk - clear rice cake soup symbolizing a new age and the letting go of worries from the old year.

In China, city squares are illuminated with red lights and fireworks. Adults give lucky money to children as laughter and firecrackers echo through the night. Steaming plates of whole fish, symbolizing abundance, sit at the center of family tables. Lunar New Year cuisine across Asia blends ritual, flavor, and reunion.

Europe: Romantic Amid Light and Ice

In London, as Big Ben strikes midnight, fireworks burst around the London Eye, lighting up the River Thames and reflecting brilliantly on its surface. The atmosphere is both festive and timeless, like a living painting.

In Paris, the Arc de Triomphe glows with 3D light displays, while the Champs-Élysées fills with crowds, music, and the warm aromas of wine and winter pastries.

In icy Iceland, bonfires blaze against the night, fireworks shimmer over snow-covered landscapes, and the northern sky occasionally flashes with the ethereal glow of the aurora borealis, creating a scene both raw and magical.

The Americas: Lively and Free-Spirited

In New York, Times Square comes alive with neon lights, giant countdown screens, and hundreds of thousands of cheering revelers as the iconic New Year’s Eve Ball drops. Music, laughter, and the pop of champagne corks fill the air.

On Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, millions dressed in white dance through the night. Fireworks reflect on ocean waves as music, drinks, and celebration merge into a vibrant and free-spirited New Year festival.

Australia: Brilliant by the Sea

Sydney is among the first cities in the world to welcome the New Year. The year-end sun still shines brightly over Bondi Beach as residents and visitors gather near the Sydney Harbour Bridge to enjoy spectacular fireworks reflected on the water. Music, laughter, and celebration echo throughout the harbor. The warm summer atmosphere allows people to fully embrace outdoor festivities - sunbathing, enjoying fresh seafood, and joining the lively crowds.

Whether marked by solemn rituals in Asia, romantic illumination in Europe, energetic celebrations in the Americas, or summer brilliance in Australia, the moment of New Year’s Eve carries a shared message: reunion, hope, and new beginnings. The sound of fireworks, the aroma of traditional dishes, shimmering lights, and the smiles of loved ones form a universal language - the language of joy and dreams.

Across continents and cultures, each nation transforms the first moments of the year into a celebration of light, music, and flavor, reminding us that the New Year is always a time to slow down, to cherish one another, and to hope.

Dung Mai