On December 31, the world collectively awaits the arrival of the New Year, but for some countries, the festivities are already underway, as reported by Tengrinews.kz. The first to ring in 2025 were the residents of the island nation of Kiribati, where New Year's Day commenced at 15:00 Astana time. Next, New Zealand welcomed the New Year at 16:00, followed by Australia, poised to celebrate two hours later.
Japan, along with South and North Korea, will see the New Year arrive four hours after Kiribati. Kazakhstan operates on UTC+5, aligning its celebratory timing with several other nations, including Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, the Maldives, and various regions of Russia, such as Bashkortostan, the Kurgan, Orenburg, Tyumen, and Chelyabinsk oblasts.
The advent of the New Year spans 26 hours across the globe due to different time zones. For example, the first celebrations kicked off on Christmas Island, located within the Republic of Kiribati at UTC+14. This was soon followed by festivities on Tonga and Chatham Islands, as well as New Zealand, which is situated at UTC+13. Fiji and parts of Australia then joined the celebrations at UTC+12 and UTC+11, respectively.
Later on, places such as Papua New Guinea and specific territories within Russia joined the New Year celebration, observed late on December 31. By 17:00, both South and North Korea, alongside Japan, officially entered 2025.
Fast forward to 18:00, the New Year made its way to Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Mongolia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Shortly after, at 19:00, countries such as Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam joined the celebration. An hour later, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan also welcomed the New Year.
At 21:00, India, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the Maldives celebrated the New Year as well, highlighting the diverse ways these regions mark this occasion.
By 22:00, nations including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the UAE, Armenia, Mauritius, Oman, and Seychelles bid farewell to 2024. The hour of 23:00 brought the New Year to Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Madagascar, Qatar, Bahrain, and others, transitioning seamlessly from December 31 to January 1, 2025.
Finally, at midnight, countries like Ukraine, Greece, Bulgaria, Egypt, Cyprus, Romania, Estonia, and many others ushered in the New Year, closing the festivities, which spanned several time zones and cultures.
With each tick of the clock, locals across the globe engage in joyous celebrations filled with fireworks, family gatherings, traditional music, and delicious feasts, auctioning off the past year and embracing hope and prosperity for the year to come.
Despite the deluge of emotions and unique traditions from various cultures, the New Year symbolizes unity. Even as the world turns, transcending time zones, it celebrates this pivotal moment together, reflecting on the past and anticipating the future.