World rings in New Year in blaze of fireworks
Marking the end of 2011, beginning of 2012:
New Year’s resolution: Stop sacrificing your
happiness for the future -Forbes magazine
UK: The world rang in the New Year on Sunday with a string of
spectacular firework displays watched by millions but overshadowed by
fears at what the economic crisis in Europe could bring in 2012.
New Year welcomed in front the Eiffel Tower |
Sydney and Hong Kong set the standard with glittering extravaganzas,
while London geared up for a firework display over the River Thames to
usher in a year in which it will host the Olympic Games.
Tens of thousands of revellers were expected to descend on Scotland’s
capital Edinburgh to attend its Hogmanay street party. The city will see
around 80,000 party-goers welcome in 2012 before erupting into a mass
rendition of “Auld Lang Syne”.
Italian revellers celebrate in Plebiscito square |
But in other European cities the eurozone crisis loomed large despite
the pyrotechnics.
In a New Year’s address, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano
delivered a stark message calling on the nation to make sacrifices to
“prevent the financial collapse of Italy”.
In Madrid, many wanted to forget their country’s financial woes for
the night, gathering in the Puerta del Sol — the square that became a
focal point for the “indignant” protest movement.
“Today is a day to forget the crisis,” said Luis Zorrilla, a
46-year-old teacher as he celebrated, adding that in the New Year state
employees like he and his wife would have to “cope with a difficult
situation”.
Earlier, Sydney kicked off the celebrations. On the stroke of
midnight, the harbour exploded in a blaze of colour and light that drew
more than 1.5 million people to crowded foreshores and city landmarks.
Germany’s landmark Brandenburg Gate lit up |
Shapes of clouds and hearts floated above Australia’s biggest city,
while glittering lights cascaded off the focal point of the display, the
Sydney Harbour Bridge, and fireworks launched from barges and rooftops
exploded overhead.
“Every year we make sure our celebrations are bigger and better than
the one before,” Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.
Two hours later there were celebrations in Tokyo as the clock struck
midnight with balloons released, fireworks set off and the Tokyo Tower
lighting up in blue.
Sydneysiders ushering in New Year |
It was then Hong Kong’s turn in the limelight with the city’s harbour
lit up by a barrage of fireworks fired from several of its iconic
buildings, delighting partygoers crammed on to the waterfront and in
pleasure boats.
Russia’s Far Eastern regions of Chukotka, Kamchatka and Magadan,
eight hours ahead of Moscow, became the first parts of the vast country
to see in the New Year.
Russian state news agencies reported that among the first revellers
in 2012 were border guards on Ratmanov island in the Bering Strait that
lies just four kilometres from US territory across the international
dateline.
In Moscow, thousands gathered in Red Square for another massive
firework display that sent rockets 140 metres (400 feet) into the
midnight sky.
But the sale of all alcohol was banned in a bid to prevent the
revelry getting out of hand.
And the mood was less festive in Russia’s second city of Saint
Petersburg, where last-minute gift shoppers worried about the economic
hard times ahead.
“I expect that things will be worse next year, especially from the
economic point of view. I fear that the next year is going to be very
hard,” said Galina Fedorchenko, 59.
Merry-makers celebrate the New Year 2012 in Beijing, China. |
As the clock moved through the timezones, celebrations in Dubai
centred on the Burj Dubai skyscraper, the world’s tallest manmade
structure, with a pyrotechnics display even more extravagant than last
year’s. In Berlin another spectacular display lit up the night sky with
partying at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate while in Paris people flocked to
the Champs-Elysees. In the heart of Vienna the New Year was rung in by
the great bell of Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, followed by the strains of
the Blue Danube Waltz.
Belgians ushering in New Year |
In Amsterdam, revellers watched the first “kiss” between two giant
inflatable puppets representing a Dutch boy and girl, which “walked”
towards each other as the seconds ticked down to 2012. In the Paris
area, the purchase of petrol in cans was banned in a bid to prevent a
wave of car burnings that occurs annually in some quarters, while 10,000
police were mobilised.
In Rio, two million white-clad party-goers Brazilians and foreign
tourists were expected to ring in the New Year on Copacabana beach,
watching a spectacular “green” fireworks extravaganza.
And more than a million revellers were expected to flock to New
York’s Times Square where pop diva Lady Gaga and tenor Placido Domingo
are among the star-studded lineup, and the traditional crystal ball
drops at the stroke of midnight.
Mounted officers, bomb-sniffing dogs and police patrol boats were
part of a massive police deployment to ensure the party passes off
without a hitch.
New Zealand was among the first places to see in the New Year but
heavy rain over most of the country put a damper on parties, with two
major celebrations in the North Island cancelled due to the weather.
In Japan, still suffering the effects of the March 11 earthquake and
tsunami that triggered a massive radiation leak from a nuclear power
plant, families gathered for trips to shrines to mark the New Year.But
nuclear evacuees said they had little to celebrate after being relocated
far from home and loved ones.
AFP |