While Sydney’s Harbour Bridge and its iconic Opera House feature in all television reports of the arrival of the new year, the first place on earth which welcomes the new year is actually Kiritimati in the Republic of Kiribati. Located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, unfortunately, it is not an easily accessible destination for tourists so not many people are likely to celebrate the new year in Kiritimati.
Kiritimati is the local word for “Christmas” as “ti” is pronounced as “s.” So Kiritimati is also known as Christmas Island. Which makes it very confusing as there is another island south of Indonesia which is an Australian administered territory and is known as Christmas Island.
The Australian Christmas Island has a population of about 2,000 people 10% of whom are Muslim. There is even a mosque on Christmas Island. For the information of all trivia fans, this island is not the first to celebrate the new year.
After Kiritimati the first New Year celebrations are held in Auckland, New Zealand, followed by Sydney, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Then people around the world wait near their television sets to witness the grand event in Dubai.
Fireworks at the Burj Khalifa followed by an extravagant pyrotechnics display near the man-made Palm Jumeirah Island will keep everyone glued to their television for 20 minutes. For those who are in Dubai this is gridlock day. It is best to camp outside your favourite spot before sunset as most roads around Burj Khalifa and Palm Jumeirah will come to a standstill around 5pm.
Berlin, followed by Paris and London are the European hotspots for ringing in the new year. Moving across the Atlantic it is now time to turn on the spotlights on the Big Apple. New York’s Times Square is another iconic destination for people watching on New Years Eve. Three hours later it is midnight in California which celebrates the new year at a time when many people around the world are already halfway through January 1.
Just north of Kiritimati is Hawaii which actually is the last major populated place on earth to welcome the new year. Wherever you are, stay safe.
