Time zone by time zone, 2023 sweeps into view
NEW YORK — New Year’s celebrations are sweeping across the globe, ushering in 2023 with countdowns and fireworks — and marking an end to a year that brought war in Europe, a new chapter in the British monarchy and global worries over inflation.
The new year began in the tiny atoll nation of Kiribati in the central Pacific, then moved across Russia and New Zealand before heading deeper, time zone by time zone, through Asia, Europe and Africa.
The ball dropped over New York’s Times Square as huge crowds counted down the seconds into 2023, culminating in raucous cheers and a deluge of confetti glittering amid the jumbo screens, neon, pulsing lights and soggy streets.
Two New York City officers were rushed to a hospital after an altercation with a man wielding a machete just a block from the throng of revelers. The officers were conscious with injuries that were not considered life-threatening and the suspect was in custody, officials said.
At least for a day, thoughts focused on possibilities, even elusive ones like world peace.
In a sign of that hope, children met St. Nicholas in a crowded metro station in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Yet Russian attacks continued on New Year’s Eve. At midnight, the streets of Kyiv were desolate. The only sign of celebration came from residents shouting from their balconies, “Happy New Year!†and “Glory to Ukraine!†And only half an hour into 2023, air raid sirens rang across the capital, followed by the sound of explosions.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported an explosion in Holosiivskyi district, and authorities reported that fragments of a missile that had been shot down had damaged a car in a central district.
In Paris, thousands celebrated on the Champs Elysees, while French President Emmanuel Macron pledged continuing support for Ukraine in a televised New Year’s address. “During the coming year, we will be unfailingly at your side,†Macron said. “We will help you until victory, and we will be together to build a just and lasting peace. Count on France and count on Europe.â€
London’s Big Ben chimed as more than 100,000 revelers gathered along the River Thames to watch fireworks around the London Eye. The display featured a drone light display of a crown and Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait on a coin hovering in the sky, paying tribute to Britain’s longest-serving monarch, who died in September.
Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach welcomed a downsized crowd of a few thousand for a short fireworks display, and several Brazilian cities canceled celebrations this year out of concern about the coronavirus. Rio’s New Year’s bash usually drew more than 2 million people to Copacabana before the pandemic.
Turkey’s most populous city, Istanbul, brought in 2023 with street festivities and fireworks. At the Church of St. Anthony of Padua, dozens of Christians prayed for the new year and marked former Pope Benedict XVI’s death. The Vatican announced Benedict died Saturday at age 95.
In New York, rain that was fierce at times did not deter revelers at a dazzling Saturday night spectacle that kicked off celebrations across the United States. The Times Square party culminated with the descent from One Times Square of a glowing sphere 12 feet in diameter and comprising nearly 2,700 Waterford crystals.
“I just wish everyone a lot of prosperity, peace and love,†Tina Wright, who was visiting from the Phoenix area, said after the countdown. “And let’s just get things moving in the world right now.â€
Last year, a scaled-back crowd of about 15,000 in-person, mask-wearing spectators watched the ball descend while basking in the lights and hoopla of the United States’ marquee New Year’s Eve event. Because of pandemic rules, it was far fewer than the tens of thousands of revelers who usually descended on the world-famous square before the pandemic.
Before the ball dropped this year, there were heavy thoughts about the past year and the new one to come.
“2023 is about resurgence — resurgence of the world after COVID-19 and after the war in Ukraine. We want it to end,†said Arjun Singh as he took in the scene in Times Square.
In Australia, more than 1 million people crowded along Sydney’s waterfront for a multimillion-dollar celebration based on the themes of diversity and inclusion. More than 7,000 fireworks were launched from the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and 2,000 from the nearby Opera House.
“We have had a couple of fairly difficult years; we’re absolutely delighted this year to be able to welcome people back to the foreshores of Sydney Harbor for Sydney’s world-famous New Year’s Eve celebrations,†Stephen Gilby, the city’s producer of major events and festivals, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
In Auckland, New Zealand, large crowds gathered below the Sky Tower, where a 10-second countdown to midnight preceded fireworks. The celebrations in New Zealand’s largest city returned after COVID-19 forced them to be canceled a year ago.
Chinese cautiously looked forward to 2023 after a recent easing of pandemic restrictions unleashed the virus but also signaled a return to normal life. Like many, salesperson Hong Xinyu stayed close to home over the last year in part because of curbs on travel.
“As the new year begins, we seem to see the light,†he said at a countdown show that lighted up the towering structures of a former steel mill in Beijing. “We are hopeful that there will be more freedom in the future.â€
Concerns about the Ukraine war and the economic shocks it has spawned across the globe were felt in Tokyo, where Shigeki Kawamura has seen better times but said he needed a free, hot meal this New Year’s.
“I hope the war will be over in Ukraine so prices will stabilize,†he said.
In military-ruled Myanmar, authorities announced a suspension of its normal four-hour curfew in the country’s three biggest cities so residents could celebrate New Year’s Eve. But opponents of army rule urged people to avoid public gatherings, fearing that security forces might stage a bombing or other attack and blame it on them.
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