Nations around the world ring in 2023 with bells and fireworks
By German Press Agency
SEOUL, South Korea – Berlin and many other cities welcomed the new year with parties outdoors, following restrictions for the past two years.
A crowd was gathering at the Brandenburg Gate on Saturday after tourists flocked to the capital, according to Visit Berlin.
Hotels were expecting 80% to 90% occupancy while hundreds of emergency personnel were on standby, expecting a restless night.
The city’s celebration, however, was smaller than in the past, and tickets had to be booked in advance. No fireworks were planned for midnight but organizers said there would be a light show.
Earlier, nations across Asia rang in the new year.
In South Korea, tens of thousands of people gathered in the center of Seoul to hear the 33 chimes of the over 3-meter-high Bosingak bell, local media reported.
People had only been able to watch the bell-ringing ceremony on television and in social media for the past two years due to the pandemic.
During the ritual act, a large bronze bell in the Bosin Pavilion is struck exactly 33 times starting at midnight, as the number 33 symbolizes good luck in Korea.
Celebrations in China, meanwhile, were muted due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus, even though bars and restaurants were able to organize events since the easing of regulations.
New Year’s Eve is not a particularly important holiday in China, as people mark the new year on Jan. 22 with larger celebrations.
Earlier, in Taiwan, fireworks were set off at the island’s landmark Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest buildings.
It was expected to attract more than 1 million revelers despite rainy cold weather in Taipei.
About 16,000 fireworks were set off during the 5-minute show, themed on “Caring for the World and Shining Dreams,” at the 509-meter-tall skyscraper.
Sydney had already welcomed the new year with a large-scale display of fireworks dubbed a “kaleidoscope of color” in the city’s harbor.
The show’s highlight was a luminous rainbow that poured down like waterfalls from the Harbour Bridge as the city looks forward to hosting World Pride in February.
One million people had been expected to flock to the spectacle that was held in front of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, according to broadcaster ABC.
Many people had already secured a spot with a good view early in the morning. Meanwhile a further half a billion viewers watched the show remotely around the world, according to estimates.
The celebration involved around 9,000 fireworks, costing around $39 million, organizers said ahead of the event.
Australia’s show came after Samoa and Kiribati in the South Pacific were the first countries in the world to welcome 2023, in a celebration that included tourists for the first time in two years.
Both countries closed their borders to visitors in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kiribati reopened to the world in August, with Samoa following in September.
Two separate fireworks displays in Samoa, one in the capital Apia, and the other in Savai’i, signaled the start of the new year. The displays were synchronized by New Zealand pyrotechnic experts and fired simultaneously from both islands at the stroke of midnight.
Kiribati’s largest island, Kiritimati, home to about 5,000 people, is the first inhabited island to begin each new year, however no major events were planned.
As the first major international center to welcome in the new year, the landmarks of New Zealand’s largest city Auckland were lit up.
Fireworks returned to the Sky Tower, along with a laser light and animation show synchronized with other landmarks, including the Harbour Bridge and Museum.
The event was canceled last year due to COVID, Mayor Wayne Brown said.
“It’s great news Auckland’s traditional Sky Tower New Year’s Eve fireworks will finally be back in 2022. It is an event seen around the world and we are proud to be kicking off 2023 from our city.”
American Samoa, just 137 miles to the east of Samoa on the other side of the International Date Line, will be the last to ring in 2023.