The sky glows red as bushfires continue to rage in Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia.
Riot police officers detain an anti-government protester during a demonstration on New Year’s Eve outside Mong Kok police station in Hong Kong.
More than 100,000 fireworks will light up the skyline for spectators crowding foreshores and parks
Partygoers celebrate during Auckland New Year’s Eve celebrations on December 31, 2019 in Auckland,
File Photo- Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House in the 9pm display during New Year’s Eve celebrations
Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House in the 9pm display during New Year’s Eve celebrations
Fireworks light up the sky during the new year celebrations in Wellington, New Zealand
People attend new year celebrations at waterfront in Wellington, New Zealand
Fireworks light up the sky during the new year celebrations in Wellington
10/10 SLIDES
SYDNEY/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Millions of people began ringing in 2020 with fireworks, dancing and champagne on Wednesday, but Australia’s celebrations were overshadowed by deadly wildfires while protests dampened the festive mood in Hong Kong and India.
New Zealanders were among the first to welcome the new year, with fireworks lighting up the night sky over Auckland.
Large crowds thronged Sydney harbor to watch Australia’s famous New Year’s Eve fireworks, even as smoke turned the evening sky in nearby coastal towns blood-red.
Many towns along the country’s eastern coast canceled their fireworks as thousands swarmed to beaches to escape the fires.
Hong Kong’s government also canceled its popular New Year’s Eve fireworks in Victoria Harbour due to security concerns as protesters staged more rallies against what they see as an erosion of democracy in the Chinese-ruled city.
Thousands in India also planned to greet the new year with protests, angered by a citizenship law they say will discriminate against Muslims and chip away at the country’s secular constitution.
CRITICISM
Sydney decided to press ahead with its fireworks display despite calls by some members of the public for it to be canceled in solidarity with fire-hit areas in New South Wales, of which the city is the capital.
“Tonight we expect a million people around the Harbour and a billion people around the world to watch Sydney’s New Year Eve celebrations, which is Australia’s biggest public event,” City of Sydney mayor Clover Moore told reporters.
Related Slideshow: New Year’s celebrations around the world (provided by Photo Services)
Tokyo, Japan
Revellers release balloons as they take part in New Year countdown event on Jan. 1.
Hohhot, China
Teachers and students draw new year pictures in the snow to welcome the new year on Dec. 31.
Ahmadabad, India
Indian school children pose for the cameras during an event to welcome the New Year on Dec. 31.
Kathmandu, Nepal
A Gurung girl wearing a traditional costume takes part in Tamu Lhosar parade, marking the beginning of the Gurung community’s new year, in Kathmandu, Nepal on Dec. 31.
Westhausen, Germany
The silhouettes of horses and riders stand against the light in front of the New Year’s Eve Chapel. Out of gratitude for the end of a cattle epidemic, riders have been riding in Westhausen for hundreds of years on traditional New Year’s Eve rides to a chapel at the edge of the village. This year the procession is taking place for the 393rd time, in Westhausen, Germany on Dec. 31.
Suzhou, China
More than 300 primary school students greet the new year’s Day 2020 with the words “2020” and “love you and love you” on the playground on Dec. 31.
Beijing, China
Performers rehearse before a New Year’s Eve countdown event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic headquarters in Bejiing on Dec. 31.
Sao Paulo, Brazil
A runner wearing a Smurf costume gives a thumbs up before the start of the annual, end of the year Sao Silvestre race in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Dec. 31.
Tokyo, Japan
Shinto priests conduct the Oharae ceremony or the Great Purification ceremony at the Meiji Jingu shrine on Dec. 31. The Shinto ritual is held to purify people and their sins for the past year ahead of the new year.
Sydney, Australia
New Year’s Eve fireworks erupt over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House during the traditional early family fireworks show, held before the main midnight event, on Dec. 31.
Brisbane, Australia
Women pose for a selfie as they wait to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks at Southbank on Dec. 31.
Auckland, New Zealand
Partygoers pose for a photo during New Year’s Eve celebrations on Dec. 31.
Auckland, New Zealand
Performer entertains the crowd during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Tokyo, Japan
Shinto priests arrive for the Oharae ceremony or the Great Purification ceremony at the Meiji Jingu shrine on Dec. 31. The Shinto ritual is held to purify people and their sins of the past year ahead of the New Year.
Seoul, South Korea
People gather to celebrate New Year on Dec. 31.
Seoul, South Korea
A woman hangs a paper note bearing her New Year wishes on a wire at Jogyesa temple on Dec. 31.
Kathmandu, Nepal
Members of the indigenous Gurung community wearing traditional attire react as they take part in a New Year celebration ceremony known as “Tamu Lhosar” on Dec. 31.
Sydney, Australia
Revelers display balloons in the shape of the New Year 2020, on Dec. 31.
New York City, New York, US
New Year’s Eve ball is seen at the roof of One Times Square building during the New Year’s Eve Ball test before the official celebrations, on Dec. 30.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Believers of Afro-Brazilian religions pay tribute to their deity Yemanjá during a traditional celebration ahead of New Year’s Eve at Vermelha Beach, on Dec. 30.
New York City, New York, US
Workers inflate balloons that will be distributed to the crowds during New Year’s Eve celebrations at Times Square, on Dec. 30.
Berlin, Germany
A street is illuminated before the New Year’s Eve Party at Brandenburg Gate, on Dec. 30.
London, England
Dancers from London School of Samba perform during the preview of the 32nd London New Year’s Parade, on Dec. 30.
Vienna, Austria
Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra during a rehearsal for the traditional New Year’s concert at the golden hall of Wiener Musikverein, on Dec. 30.
Damascus, Syria
The Al-Abassyeen square is lit up with lights for the New Year’s celebrations, on Dec. 30.
Berlin, Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel records her New Year’s speech at the Chancellery, on Dec. 30.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
People throng the Ipanema Beach a day before the traditional Réveillon, on Dec. 30.
Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
A woman takes a selfie along a street decorated for the New Year 2020 and Christmas holidays, on Dec. 30.
Moscow, Russia
People take part in activities at the Holiday’s Market on Red Square, decorated for New Year and Orthodox Christmas, on Dec. 30.
29/29 SLIDES
Some tourists trapped in Australia’s coastal towns posted images of blood-red, smoke-filled skies on social media. One beachfront photograph showed people lying shoulder-to-shoulder on the sand, some wearing gas masks.
The fires have spread across four states, with fronts stretching hundreds of kilometers in some cases. They have killed at least 11 people since October and left many towns and rural areas without electricity and mobile coverage.
Defending the decision not to cancel Sydney’s fireworks and reallocate funds to fire-affected regions, Moore said planning had begun 15 months ago and most of the budget had already been allocated. The event was also a boost to NSW’s economy.
Not everybody welcomed that decision.
“Is Sydney seriously still getting fireworks tonight when half our country is on fire,” Twitter user @swiftyshaz13 said.
PROTESTS
In Hong Kong, rocked by months of sometimes violent demonstrations, protesters were urged to wear masks at a rally called “Don’t forget 2019 – Persist in 2020” on Tuesday evening, according to social media posts.
“My new year wish is this movement can end soon but not because we lost the fight, because we win the fight,” said 40-year-old clerk Kong, who joined a small lunchtime protest in the central financial district and gave only her last name.
Authorities have deployed 6,000 police officers and Chief Executive Carrie Lam appealed for calm and reconciliation in her New Year’s Eve video message.
The protests began in June in response to a now-withdrawn bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, where courts are controlled by the Communist Party, and have evolved into a broader pro-democracy movement.
India has also been gripped by weeks of protests over legislation introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government that eases the way for non-Muslim minorities in neighboring Muslim-majority nations such as Pakistan and Bangladesh to gain Indian citizenship.
Protesters planned demonstrations on Tuesday in the capital New Delhi, now in the grip of its second coldest winter in more than a century, the financial capital Mumbai and other cities.
(Reporting by bureaux in Sydney, Hong Kong and New Delhi; Writing by Gareth Jones; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
