People from all Asia They celebrated the countdown before midnight on New Years Eve with fireworks and bright signs, offering a hopeful start to 2024 for some, even as wars around the planet raised security concerns and caused celebrations in some places to be less intense or even cancelled.
At the stroke of midnight in Australia, more than 1 million people – equivalent to one in five of Sydney’s inhabitants – watched a 12-minute fireworks display burn over the bridge from the shore and from boats. of the Bay.
“It’s totally crazy,” said German tourist Janna Thomas, who queued from 7:30 a.m. to secure a good waterfront spot at the Sydney Botanic Gardens.
Organizers around the world have prepared to hold large-scale celebrations despite the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. In New York City, where there have been almost daily protests against the war between Israel and Hamas, authorities and party organizers said they were prepared to guarantee the safety of tens of thousands of people who will fill Times Square.
Fireworks exploded up and down the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, at the stroke of midnight in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
China celebrated relatively discreetly: most of the country’s large cities banned the use of fireworks due to concerns about their safety and environmental pollution. Anyway, in Beijing people gathered and performers danced in colorful costumes, while in Chongqing a crowd released balloons with wishes. During his New Year message, Chinese President Xi Jinping indicated that the country will focus on building momentum for an economic recovery in 2024, and pledged that China “it will undoubtedly be reunited with Taiwan.”
In Taipei, the Taiwanese capital, the mood seemed lively as people gathered for a fireworks display at the bamboo-shaped Taipei 101 skyscraper, as well as at concerts and other events held across the city.
In India, thousands of people in the city of Mumbai flocked to a crowded avenue to watch the sun set over the Arabian Sea. In New Delhi, the fireworks sparked fears that the capital — already known for its poor air quality — would be blanketed in toxic haze on the first morning of the new year.
Temple bells rang across Japan as people gathered at shrines and temples. At Tsukiji in Tokyo, visitors were given free hot milk and corn soup while they lined up to ring a large bell, and a pipe organ concert was held in front of a majestic altar.
At the Vatican, Pope Francis remembered 2023 as a year marked by suffering due to wars. During his traditional Sunday blessing from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, he offered prayers for “the tormented Ukrainian people and the Palestinian and Israeli populations, the Sudanese people and many others.”
“At the end of the year, we will have the courage to ask ourselves how many human lives have been destroyed by armed conflicts, how many deaths and how much destruction, how much suffering, how much poverty,” declared the pontiff.
In Russia, the country’s military actions in Ukraine have overshadowed New Year’s celebrations. The usual fireworks and concert in Moscow’s Red Square were cancelled, just like last year.
On the other hand, in Pakistan the government banned all New Year’s Eve celebrations in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
In Iraq, a Christmas tree was decorated with Palestinian flags and symbolic shrouded corpses, placed next to a monument honoring freedom in central Baghdad. Many Christians in the country have canceled this year’s festivities in solidarity with Gaza, choosing to limit their celebrations to prayers and rituals.
“We hope that the new year, 2024, will be a year of goodness, prosperity and joy”said Ahmed Ali, a Baghdad resident.
Source: Gestion
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