When and how the New Year is celebrated in different countries. And why is there such a difference at all? Which countries will be the first to celebrate the new year and where it is not celebrated at all

Places where the New Year is celebrated first December 27th, 2014

When we still have the last feverish preparations for the New Year, some inhabitants of the Earth have not only met it and had a good time, but by this time they even managed to relax and sleep. For there are places in the world where the New Year is celebrated much earlier than ours.

Under the cut, you will see those places where the New Year is celebrated first on our planet.

1. Traditionally, the first to meet the New Year 2015 in Kiribati. And more specifically, on the Linear Islands, which are located to the east than the other islands of this country. In 1994, one of the presidential candidates promised the citizens that if he won the elections, he would make sure that Kiribati would be the first to celebrate the New Year in the whole world. He won and kept his word: he moved the demarcation line of time (a conditional line on a map of time zones). Since that time, Kiribati has been divided into three time zones, and in the easternmost of them, midnight comes 14 hours earlier than in London. (Photo: DS355/flickr.com).

2. In the same time zone as Kiribati is Tokelau, which includes a group of islands consisting of three coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunono and Fakaofo. It is a dependent territory of New Zealand. The time zone change here happened quite recently, in 2011, and the main reason for this was the problem of interaction in contacts with New Zealand, since the island used to be on the other side of the demarcation time line. (Photo: Haanee Naeem/flickr.com).

3. An hour later, the New Year will be celebrated by the people of Samoa. In 2011, there was also a change of time zone, the date of December 30, 2011 was absent in the Samoan calendar. This was done to better interact and develop cooperation with Australia and New Zealand. Interestingly, the previous time zone change was carried out in 1892 in order to adjust the time to California. (Photo: Savai'i Island/flickr.com).

4. At the same time as in Samoa, the people of Tonga, an island located one third of the way between New Zealand and Hawaii, south of Samoa, will celebrate the New Year. (Photo: pintxomoruno/flickr.com).

5. The next to celebrate the New Year are the inhabitants of the Chatham Islands. This small archipelago, which consists of two inhabited islands - Chatham and Pitt. Other small islands have the status of reservations and are generally inaccessible to both residents of the islands and tourists. Interestingly, Chatham Island has its own time zone, which is 45 minutes (less) different from New Zealand time. (Photo: Phil Pledger/flickr.com).

6. After the inhabitants of the Chatam Islands, the next New Year 2015 will be celebrated in New Zealand. (Photo: Philipp Klinger Photography/flickr.com).

7. At the same time as in New Zealand, they will celebrate the New Year in Fiji. This is a state that is located on 322 islands and islets of volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs, of which only 110 islands are inhabited. (Photo: brad/flickr.com).

8. The first mainland state whose inhabitants will celebrate the New Year 2015 (simultaneously with the inhabitants of New Zealand and Fiji) is Russia, or rather, the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, located in the southeastern part of the volcanic Kamchatka Peninsula. (Photo: Jasja/flickr.com).

9. In the same time zone as Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, there are numerous small islands and archipelagos in the Pacific Ocean: Tuvalu, Nauru, Wallis and Futuna, Wake and the Marshall Islands. Photo: Nauru island. (Photo: Hadi Zaher/flickr.com).

10. We travel further and move west. The next New Year will be celebrated by the inhabitants of New Caledonia, a French overseas territory located in the Western Pacific Ocean, in Melanesia, about 1,400 kilometers east of Australia and 1,500 kilometers northwest of New Zealand. (Photo: Tonton des Iles-Bye bye Everyone/flickr.com).

Countries that celebrate the New Year at the same time as New Caledonia are: Vanuatu, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Solomon Islands.

11. Together with New Caledonia, the New Year 2015 will be met by residents of another Russian city - Magadan. (Photo: Tramp/flickr.com).

12. On our journey, we finally arrived in Australia, where the first to celebrate the New Year, of course, are the inhabitants of the east coast - Sydney and Melbourne. (Photo: El Mundo, Economía y Negocios/flickr.com).

13. Simultaneously with the residents of Sydney and Melbourne, the New Year will be celebrated in Vladivostok and on such Pacific islands as Guam, the Mariana Islands and Papua New Guinea. Pictured: Guam Island. (Photo: orgazmo/flickr.com).

And I will remind you The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -

When we are feverishly preparing for the New Year, in some places people already have time to sleep after the festive festivities, because there are places in the world where the New Year is celebrated eleven hours earlier than in.

We will tell you about the places where residents celebrate the New Year before us!

Traditionally, the people of Kiribati, a state located on islands and atolls in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, celebrate the New Year before everyone else. In 1994, in this country, which is located on 33 islands, a presidential candidate promised that if he won the election, he would ensure that the people of Kiribati would celebrate the New Year before anyone else. Therefore, after the elections, the country was divided into three time zones, and now in the easternmost part the New Year is celebrated 11 hours earlier than in Belarus.

At the same time, residents of another Russian city, Magadan, a major port city on the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, will also celebrate the New Year.

New Year is traditionally celebrated almost all over the world on December 31st. However, the first to celebrate the New Year begin in the dwarf Kingdom of Tonga in the Pacific Ocean. And they complete - in Haiti and Samoa - in 25 hours.

0.15 - Chatham Island (New Zealand), remote from the main islands of New Zealand, is in a special time zone and is the second place where the New Year comes.

1.00 - New Zealand (Wellington, Auckland, etc.) and polar explorers from the South Pole in Antarctica celebrate the New Year.

2.00 - The New Year begins with the inhabitants of extreme eastern Russia (Anadyr, Kamchatka), the Fiji Islands and some other Pacific islands (Nauru, Tuvalu, etc.)

2.30 - Norfolk Island (Australia).

3.00 - Part of eastern Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra) and some Pacific islands (Vanuatu, Micronesia, Solomon Islands, etc.).

Australia. Sydney is having a big party. On New Year's Eve, the whole city looks like an incomparably decorated Christmas tree, the branches of which bend under the weight of all the decorations. The sky over Sydney sparkles with numerous salutes and fireworks.

3.30 - South Australia (Adelaide).

4.00 - Queensland in Australia (Brisbane), part of Russia (Vladivostok) and some islands (Papua New Guinea, Mariana Islands).

4.30 - Northern Territories of Australia (Darwin).

5.00 - Japan and Korea.

In Japan, New Year is celebrated on January 1st. Mandatory is the custom of seeing off the Old Year, which includes organizing receptions and visiting restaurants. At the beginning of the new year, the Japanese begin to laugh. They believe that laughter will bring them good luck in the coming year.

6.00 - China, part of Southeast Asia and the rest of Australia.

7.00 - Indonesia and the rest of Southeast Asia.

7.30 - Myanmar.

8.00 - Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Part of Russia (Novosibirsk, Omsk).

8.15 - Nepal.

8.30 - India.

In India, the New Year is celebrated in different ways. In one part, the holiday is considered open when a kite is struck by a burning arrow.

9.00 - Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and part of Russia (Yekaterinburg, Ufa).

9.30 - Afghanistan.

10.00 - Armenia, Azerbaijan, part of Russia (Samara), some islands in the Indian Ocean.

10.30 - Iran.

11.00 - Part of East Asia, part of Africa, part of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg).

12.00 - Eastern Europe (Romania, Greece, Ukraine, etc.), Turkey, Israel, Finland, part of Africa.
Finland. Finnish families gather at a New Year's table full of various dishes. The kids are waiting for a big basket of gifts from Joulupukki, that's the name of the Finnish Santa Claus. On New Year's Eve, Finns tell fortunes to find out their future.

In Greece, New Year's Day is Saint Basil's Day. Saint Basil was known for his kindness, and Greek children leave their shoes by the fireplace in the hope that Saint Basil will fill the shoes with gifts.

13.00 - Western and Central Europe (Belgium, Italy, France, Hungary, Sweden, etc.), part of Africa.

Italy. As soon as the New Year has begun, the Italians are in a hurry to get rid of things that have already served their purpose. In Italy, the custom has been preserved to bring clean water from a spring on the first morning of the new year, as it is believed that water brings happiness.

France. Even before Christmas, the French hang a branch of mistletoe over the door of their houses, believing that it will bring good luck next year. In addition, the French decorate the whole house with flowers, be sure to put them on the table. In each house they try to place a model depicting the scene of the birth of Christ. According to tradition, a good owner-winemaker on New Year's Eve should clink glasses with a barrel of wine, congratulate her on the holiday and drink for the future harvest.

14.00 - Zero meridian (Greenwich), UK, Portugal, part of Africa.

Great Britain. In England, the ringing of a bell is broadcast. The British have a tradition to let the old year out of the house, they open the back doors of the houses before the ringing of the bell, and then open the front doors to let in the new year. New Year's gifts in the family circle of the British are distributed according to the old tradition - by lot.

15.00 - Azores.

16.00 - Brazil.

Brazil. On New Year's Eve, the inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro go to the ocean and bring gifts to the Goddess of the Sea Yemanzha. Traditionally, Brazilians dress up in white clothes, which symbolizes a plea for peace addressed to the goddess of the Sea.

17.00 - Argentina and part of the eastern part of South America.

17.30 - Newfoundland Island (Canada).

18.00 - Eastern Canada, many islands of the Caribbean, part of South America.

19.00 - Eastern parts of Canada (Ottawa) and USA (Washington, New York), western part of South America.

USA. In New York, in Times Square, the traditional solemn descent of the famous Ball, sparkling with thousands of neon lights, takes place.

20.00 - Central parts of Canada and the USA (Chicago, Houston), Mexico and most of Latin America.

21.00 - Part of Canada (Edmonton, Calgary) and the USA (Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City).

22.00 - Western parts of Canada (Vancouver, and the USA (Los Angeles, San Francisco).

23.00 - State of Alaska (USA).

23.30 - Marquesas Islands as part of French Polynesia.

24.00 - Hawaiian Islands (USA), Tahiti and the Cook Islands.

25.00 - Residents of the state of Samoa are the last to celebrate the New Year.

So, Saudi Arabia does not celebrate the New Year in principle. The fact is that the celebration of the change of dates is considered alien to Islam in principle. For the faithful in Saudi Arabia, there are only three holidays: Independence Day, the celebration of the end of the month of Ramadan and the Feast of Sacrifice.

In Israel, January 1 is also a working day, unless, of course, it is Saturday - a holy day for the Jews. The Israelis celebrate their New Year in the fall - on the new moon of the month of Tishrei according to the Jewish calendar (September or October). This holiday is called Rosh Hashanah. It is celebrated for 2 days.

January 1 is an ordinary day in Iran. The country lives according to the Persian calendar. The New Year is celebrated in Iran on the day of the spring equinox - March 21. The holiday is called Navruz, that is, a new day.

In multicultural India, there are so many holidays that if you had to celebrate everything, there would be no time to work. Therefore, some of them have become "holidays of choice". These days, all institutions and offices are open, but employees can take time off. January 1 is one of those holidays. March 22 is the New Year according to the unified national calendar of India. In Kerala, New Year is celebrated on April 13th. It is called Vishu. Sikhs celebrate their New Year, Vaisakhi, on the same day. In South India, the Divapali festival is widely celebrated in autumn, which also means the arrival of the new year. This is not a complete list of New Year's days that can be celebrated in India. By the way, among the "holidays to choose from" there is also Catholic Christmas.

January 1 is a public holiday in South Korea. Decorated Christmas trees and Santa Clauses are common here, but the beginning of the year in Korea is perceived rather than as a holiday, but as an additional day off that can be spent in a pleasant circle of family and friends. But if something is celebrated on an unprecedented scale, it is Sollal - the New Year according to the lunar calendar. By this day, most Koreans leave for their hometowns to honor the memory of their ancestors.

Just imagine that at the time when we are just getting ready to celebrate the New Year, it has already been met somewhere in the world. When it is only 2 pm in Kyiv and exemplary housewives are hard at work in the kitchen, in New Zealand they have already managed not only to raise glasses, but also to drain them at the last twelfth stroke of the clock.

We invite our readers-travelers to dream and imagine how great it would be to celebrate the New Year not only once a day, at 12 o'clock at night, but all day long.

The first to celebrate the New Year are the inhabitants of the island of Kiritimati, which is part of the Christmas Islands (Republic of Kiribati), as well as the inhabitants of the city of Nuku'alofa (the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga). Both locations are in Oceania. So if you want to be the best, go to these islands.

How to get to Christmas Island: from Perth, Australia (Austasia Airlines, 4 hours on the way, 1680 Australian dollars round trip through the Cocos Islands). If you are interested in Christmas Island before Australia itself, then you can fly through Denpasar (Bali, Indonesia) (Austasia Airlines, flight Denpasar - Christmas Island costs $ 650 round trip).

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the standard by which society regulates clocks and time (from Greenwich Mean Time).

But you should not relax, because in 15 minutes (UTC + 13:45) the New Year will come to Chatham Island (New Zealand), which is remote from the main islands of New Zealand and is located in a special time zone.

UTC+13 - and the New Year is celebrated by New Zealand and polar explorers from the stations of the South Pole in Antarctica.

UTC+12 - The New Year is being celebrated in the Far East - Anadir, Kamchatka. They are also supported by the islands of Nauru, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands.

UTC+11 - residents of eastern Australia - Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, some Pacific islands - Vanuatu, Micronesia, Solomon Islands.

UTC+10 - the first strikes of the clock begin to sound in the state of Queensland in Australia and on some islands: Papua New Guinea.

UTC+9 - It's time to welcome the New Year in Japan and Korea.

UTC+8 - China, part of Southeast Asia (Singapore, Mongolia, Malaysia, the Philippines and the island of Bali) welcome 2018.

UTC+7 - Thailand, Laos, Vietnam. Just imagine that at the same time on the islands of Kiritimati (Kiritimati) it will already be 7 am on January 1st.

UTC+6 - Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. When Delhi and Mumbai celebrate the New Year, it will already be 7 hours and 30 minutes in New Zealand on January 1, 2018.

UTC+5 - Maldives, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. And on the islands of Kiritimati (Kiritimati) it will already be 9 am on January 1st.

UTC+4 - Armenia, Azerbaijan, some islands in the Indian Ocean, Dubai. Next, the New Year will come to Iran, which is 3 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich time.

UTC+3 - Kenya, Tanzania, Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, Madagascar.

UTC+2 - and finally the New Year reached Ukraine! Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Greece, Syria, Israel, South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia will also raise glasses with champagne with us.

UTC+1 - Western and Central Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Norway), part of Africa.

UTC +0 - and 2018 comes to the countries of the Zero Meridian (Greenwich). And this is the UK, Portugal, Iceland, part of Africa. And on the islands of Kiritimati (Kiritimati) it will already be 14 hours on January 1.

UTC -1 - Azores,

UTC -2 - Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and San Raulo), UTC -3 - Argentina and part of eastern South America,

UTC -4 - Newfoundland Island (Canada).

UTC -5 - Eastern Canada, many Caribbean islands, part of South America

UTC -6 - Eastern parts of Canada (Ottawa) and USA (Washington, New York), western part of South America.

UTC -7 - Central parts of Canada and the USA (Chicago, Houston), Mexico and most countries in Latin America.

UTC -8 - Western parts of Canada (Vancouver), and the USA (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Las Vegas).

UTC-10- Hawaii, Cook Islands and Tahiti.

UTC-11- and the last ones to meet 2018 will be the islands of Samoa and American Samoa. And when the people of Samoa celebrate the New Year, it will already be 1 a.m. on January 2, 2018 on the Kiritimati islands.

Recall that we previously told you what 5 places in Qatar are worth visiting for a tourist. Details

Sometimes on weekends we publish answers to various quizzes for you in the Q&A format. Our questions range from simple to complex. Quizzes are very interesting and quite popular, but we just help you test your knowledge. And we have another question in the quiz - In which of these cities does the New Year come first?

A: Permian
B: Krasnoyarsk
C: Omsk
D: Novosibirsk

Correct answer: B- Krasnoyarsk

From the point of view of geography, the further east, the earlier the New Year comes.

In Russia, the New Year is celebrated first in the Far Eastern District. But there are no such cities in the list.

But there are cities that are located in Eastern Siberia. They obviously celebrate the New Year earlier than others.

Omsk and Perm are excluded immediately. The first city is located in Western Siberia, the second - in the Urals, that is, clearly to the west.

Novosibirsk is also excluded (this is the border of Western and Eastern Siberia)

Remains only Krasnoyarsk.

Krasnoyarsk - 92 degrees east.