New Year is an occasion celebrated by people crossing religious and cultural boundaries. However, the geographical boundaries separated by different time zones cause the world to welcome the forthcoming year at varying intervals. Let’s take a look at which countries celebrate New Year 2025 at the earliest according to the Indian Standard Time (IST).
The first place to welcome New Year 2025 is Kiribati Island in the central Pacific Ocean at 3:30 pm IST, followed by the islands in Tonga and Samoa at 4:30 IST after which New Zealand will become the first major country to celebrate the new year.
Australia and South East Asia will also experience New Year 2025 before India while Russia, Europe and the United States of America will celebrate after India.
The last place to experience New Year 2025 is Baker Island and Howland Island which are two uninhabited areas located southwest of Hawaii at 5:30 pm IST on January 1.
The celebrations on December 31 are usually marked with fireworks and get-togethers but some places have unique traditions as they proceed into a new year.
People in the Philippines make loud noises to ward off evil spirits, wear polka dots resembling coins for prosperity and prepare 12 round fruits to symbolise wealth for each month of the year. While in Latin America people have the tradition of burning rag dolls to cast off the old year and bring in the new one.
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