Nations around the world are welcoming the New Year as midnight strikes across different time zones.
The island of Kiritimati - an atoll in the remote Pacific nation of Kiribati - became the first place to enter 2026. One tourist there marked the occasion on a beach with no satellites, no signs of human life, complete darkness and countless crabs.
New Zealand followed shortly thereafter, welcoming the New Year with a firework display in Auckland.
Then Australia lit up the sky over the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, though celebrations there were tinged with sadness as the nation reflected on a tragic attack in December that claimed 15 lives. At 23:00 local time, Sydney Harbour fell silent for a minute, with attendees holding lights and projecting a message of peace on the Harbour Bridge.
In other parts of the globe, celebrations varied remarkably. In Le Cap d’Agde, France, both clothed and unclothed attendees participated in a traditional sea dip, while in Denmark, brave souls at Islands Brygge Harbour Bath embraced cold waters for the traditional Nytaarsbad. In the Netherlands, families partook in the yearly carbide shooting spectacle, where milk cans are transformed into makeshift cannons.
Participants dressed in traditional kimonos participated in a Shinto ritual procession in Osaka, Japan, to honor the New Year, while Krakow, Poland, saw colourful runners surpass chilly air in a lively New Year’s Run.
In Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, both adults and children performed traditional dances that symbolically released the sun of 2025 as they welcomed the sun of 2026, marking a hopeful start to the New Year.
Thus, as the world transitioned into 2026, it was not just a celebration of a new year but a heartfelt embrace of unity in diversity, reflecting on both joyous traditions and sombre moments in various cultures.
