When 2019 Starts Around the World

New Year’s Eve is a time to reflect on the previous year and focus on the year to come.  It’s the day where everyone in the world is celebrating the same holiday and the festivities are elevated to another level.  Most of us observe traditions, celebrations, resolutions or perhaps even superstitions to ring in the New Year and bid farewell to the year that has passed.

Being on the East Coast of the U.S., I always watch the big ball in Times Square, and realized that the Mid and West Coast ring in the new year a few hours after us. So it got me thinking about the rest of the world. When is it midnight and how do they celebrate?  I discovered that no matter what part of the world we are from, we all have similar customs of gathering together with family and friends and celebrating the New Year.

So when is it 12 o’clock midnight in some of my favorite travel destinations in the world?

First to celebrate New Year’s is Christmas Island. Auckland and Wellington New Zealand hit 12 o’clock midnight at 6 am EST followed by several regions of Australia (Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra,) at 8 a.m. EST.  The Aussies and Kiwis celebrate similar to most cultures filled with parties and dazzling fireworks.  Here’s an interesting fact, Gisborne in New Zealand is west of the International Date Line, so they are the first major city to celebrate New Year’s.

If you are awake or can catch it later in the day, watch the fireworks around the Sydney Harbor. Often regarded as the best in the world, the fireworks are set off over the bridge and synchronized with popular music. Over 1 million people line the river bank to catch the amazing display.  The fireworks last upwards of 13 minutes leading into the New Year’s Eve countdown.  It’s one of the longest and best choreographed displays in the world, an event that will leave travelers awestruck.

Next stop: Japan.  Travelers looking to celebrate the New Year on more than one day must travel to Tokyo, as celebrations stretch from December 29th through January 4th.  The most popular location is the Tokyo Tower where fireworks and flash bulbs light up the sky. Japan’s New Year is at 10 a.m. EST in Tokyo, Seoul and Pyongyang.  Another popular place to go is Juya No Kane, the Watch Night Bell.  Known as Omisoka, their custom includes ringing this bell 108 times.  Why 108? It is to represent repentance for each of the moral desires that have been identified by the Buddhist faith. Another interesting fact is that the Imperial Palace is opened to the public on January 1st – only one of two dates in the entire year you can get in.  By 11 a.m. EST Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore celebrate the New Year.

Moving onto India, they celebrate at 1:30 pm EST. Sounds strange, but yes their time zone falls on the half hour.  Although it is not India’s official New Year, many regions throughout the country still celebrate with festivals.

Eight hours before midnight (3 p.m. EST) it’s 12 o’clock in most of Russia.  Unlike most cultures, people in Russia spend the last few minutes of the New Year in silence. They use this time to write down wishes and burn them. Hard core believers takes the ashes and put them into their champagne glass and drink up at the stroke of midnight.

At 6 p.m. while we are preparing for our dinners and parties, much of Europe is celebrating New Year’s including Italy, Germany and France.  In Denmark their meal includes pork, cod and kale, as well as a ring cake called Kransekage.  Many break dishes at the stroke of midnight for luck. They often throw some of their old dishes on a friend’s door to symbolize their love for their friend. The more dishes you have in front of your door from your friends, the better!

Also at 6 p.m. EST, customs in Spain include celebrating with a feast, wearing red underwear and eating 12 grapes while making a wish for each one. The parties and pubs keep going into the wee hours of the morning, and for breakfast people have churros, pastries and hot chocolate.  (We had churros dunked in hot chocolate sauce while in Barcelona – it’s delicious!)  If you are in Barcelona for New Years, head to Placa Catalunya in Barcelona’s city center.  You can also find live music and festivals along the beach.  In France New Year’s Eve is called la Saint-Sylvester and it is celebrated with a feast including foie gras, oysters and champagne. The French exchange cards and gifts, and also kiss under the mistletoe. In Austria, the main television station broadcasts the Pummerin, which is the bell of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.  Afterwards they play Johann Strauss’s The Blue Danube and people dance in the streets. They eat roast pig and peppermint ice cream as both symbolize good luck.

At 7 p.m. EST, England, Ireland, Portugal , the Canary Islands and Morocco are at 12 o’clock. In many English pubs you will find people holding hands and singing Auld Lang Syne. Every year in London people line the banks of the River Thames. There is also an amazing fireworks display above the London Eye accompanied with music.  As the clock strikes midnight, Big Ben sounds off thunderous chimes.  On New Year’s Day the celebration continues with a huge parade.

Three hours before midnight (9 p.m. EST) Brazil comes alive. Traditional gatherings with food and drink and lots of fireworks.  It is said that in Rio at the Copacabana Beach you will see one of the most spectacular firework displays in the world.  Argentina celebrates the New Year at 10 p.m. EST.

Azores and Cape Verde celebrate their New Year at 8 p.m.

Three hours before midnight (9 p.m. EST) Brazil comes alive. Traditional gatherings include foods such as lentils and plenty of alcohol while watching a fireworks display.

It is said that in Rio at the Copacabana Beach you will see one of the most spectacular firework displays in the world.  Argentina celebrates the New Year at 10 p.m. EST.

In New York City you will find over 1 million people in Times Square with another billion watching on TV to witness the iconic ball descend down the 141 foot pole atop the One Times Square Building. The first ball was dropped in 1907.  Heading west, Las Vegas is another great place to spend New Year’s.  Hotels and casinos along the strip come together for a massive fireworks display. Who is last? Well it’s not midnight in Hawaii until 5 a.m. on January 1st and the very last place is American Samoa and the Midways Islands at 6 a.m. EST on January 1st.

May 2019 be filled with peace, good health, prosperity and travel!

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