In which city is the new year. Which countries are the first to celebrate the New Year, and which are the last?
Places where they meet New Year 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. This dependent territory from New Zealand. The time zone change here happened quite recently, in 2011, and main reason this was the problem of interaction in contacts with New Zealand, since used to be an island was 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 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 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 - French overseas territory located in the western part 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 celebrating the New Year at the same time as New Caledonia are: Vanuatu, Federated States Micronesia and the Solomon Islands.
11. Together with New Caledonia, the New Year 2015 will be met by the inhabitants 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 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, 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 -
Due to different time zones, the time of the new year may differ from ours by as much as 25 hours. From this article you will find out when the New Year comes in different countries world and what are the features of the celebration in some countries.
The very first to celebrate the New Year are the inhabitants of the island of Kiritimati, which is part of the Christmas Islands, as well as the inhabitants of the city of Nukualofa (the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga). These islands are located in Oceania
+0.15 — Chatham Island New Zealand), located at a distance from the main islands of New Zealand, celebrates the New Year as the second. It has a special time zone
+1.00 — Then the New Year comes in New Zealand. At the same time, he was met by polar explorers with South Pole in Antarctica
+2.00 - The next to celebrate are the inhabitants of the 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 and etc.)
Australia is worth talking about separately. There is always a grand celebration in Sydney. IN new year's eve the city looks like a brightly decorated Christmas tree, with branches bending from decorations. Numerous fireworks are scattered in the sky over Sydney, which are visible from a distance of 16-20 kilometers from the city. 
After a festive night, Australians often go somewhere in nature, as the climate always allows it.
+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 Australia (Darwin)
+5.00 — Japan and Korea
In Japan, the New Year is celebrated on January 1st. Mandatory is the custom of seeing off the Old Year, with lavish receptions and visits to restaurants. At the beginning of the new year, the Japanese begin to laugh. They believe that laughter brings them good luck in the new year. On the first New Year's Eve, it is customary to visit the temple, where 108 bells are beaten. With each blow, all the bad things go away, and will not be repeated in the New Year. Among New Year's accessories, amulets for happiness - miniature rakes - are popular. Every Japanese necessarily acquires them, so that on New Year's Eve there is something to rake in happiness. Bamboo rakes - kumade are made from 10 cm to 1.5 meters in size and are decorated with rich painting. In houses, rice cakes and tangerines are placed in a conspicuous place, symbolizing happiness, health and longevity. 
+6.00 — China, part South-East Asia and the rest of Australia
Chinese New Year is celebrated between January 17 and February 19, during the new moon. Street processions are the most exciting part of the holiday. Thousands of lanterns are lit to light the way for the New Year. The Chinese believe that the new year is surrounded evil spirits. Therefore, they scare them away with firecrackers and firecrackers. New Year in China is a strictly family holiday, so everyone wants to spend it with their relatives. In the evening, each family gathers in the living room for a gala dinner. During this dinner, which was held under the sign of the unity of the clan, and above all the unity of its living and deceased members, its participants eat dishes that are first offered to the spirits of their ancestors. At the same time, family members forgive each other old grievances 
+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 of the country, the holiday is considered open when a kite is struck by a burning arrow. In northern India, the inhabitants adorn themselves with flowers in shades of pink, red, purple, or white. mothers south india sweets, flowers and small gifts are placed on a special tray, and in the morning of the new year, children are brought to the tray with their eyes closed 
+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.
In Finland, families gather at a New Year's table full of various dishes. The kids expect from Joulupukki, that's the name of the Finnish Santa Claus, a huge basket of gifts. On New Year's Eve, Finns often guess, trying 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. It is also customary to launch fireworks into the sky. In the photo New Year's fireworks over the Acropolis 
+13.00 — Western and Central Europe(Belgium, Italy, France, Hungary, Sweden, etc.), part of Africa.
As soon as the New Year has begun, Italians are in a hurry to get rid of things that have already "served their time", sometimes throwing them right out of the window or burning them. In Italy, the custom has been preserved on the first morning of the new year. clean water from the spring, as it is believed that water brings happiness 
The French, even before Christmas, hang a mistletoe branch over the door of their houses, believing that it will bring good luck next year. They decorate the whole house with flowers and always 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 — Prime Meridian(Greenwich), UK, Portugal, part of Africa
Let's move on to the UK. The ringing of the bell broadcasts about the New Year in England, the British have a tradition to release old year from home, before the ringing of the bell, they open the back doors of the houses, 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
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. Believers bring all kinds of gifts to the goddess: flowers, perfumes, mirrors, jewelry. Gifts are placed in small boats and sent to the sea in gratitude for last year and as a request for protection in the coming year. Pay attention to how many people gathered on the beach of Rio to watch the fireworks 
+17.00 - Argentina and part of eastern South America
+17.30 — Newfoundland Island (Canada)
+18.00 — Eastern Canada, many islands Caribbean, part of South America
+19.00 – Eastern parts of Canada (Ottawa) and the USA (Washington, New York), West Side 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 USA (Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City)
+22.00 - Western parts of Canada (Vancouver, and 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
This is how the New Year is celebrated around the world in a big way, in different countries in different ways, but everywhere there is common feature- you need to meet him cheerfully, and on a grand scale
Dividing the world into time zones has its own quirks. So, for example, when in other places on the calendar it is already January 2, on the two islands of the Pacific Ocean the New Year is just coming. This uninhabited islands Howland and Baker. Due to the fact that they are in the UTC-12 time zone, the New Year begins on them later than everyone else.
But the first to begin to celebrate New Year's Eve are the inhabitants of the islands of Kiribati, Christmas and Line. They have a UTC+14 time zone, so when Howland and Baker show 11 o'clock and December 31st on the calendar, the clock on Christmas Island will strike the hour after midnight on January 2nd.
Despite the fact that there are no people on Howland and Baker and only the United States Coast Guard can visit them, we can tell a lot of interesting things about these islands. To begin with, it is worth noting that they belong to and are part of the rescue program. wildlife.
Howland Island
Howland Island has a very interesting story. This piece of land in the middle of the ocean was discovered in 1822 by George Bradley Worth, who was the captain of the whaling ship Oeno. At that time, the captain named the island after himself, but after 6 years it was discovered again by another captain, Daniel Mackenzie, who gave the island the name of the owner of the ship - Minerva. Well, the third captain who discovered this land was Geo Emery Netcher. It happened in 1842, when the island was named Howland - that was the name of a sailor who noticed unfamiliar shores.
The first documented settlement was formed on the island in 1857. At that time, it was very valuable because of the ability to extract guano from it. After all, as the law said, if the island is not under anyone's jurisdiction, except for, it has no owners and local population, but there are deposits of guano on it, then any American can own all the land. But in 1886, the British who arrived on the island declared that the right to the territory belongs to them. Then British settlers appeared on Howland, who mined guano for 5 years.
The dispute over the land was finally resolved only in 1936 after the colonization of the island by America. With the dawn of long-range aviation, Howland was a Pacific strategic base. Therefore, in 1937, they began to build a runway here. It was intended for the now famous pilot Amelia Earhart, who wanted to carry out her round-the-world flight. However, the journey ended tragically - Earhart went missing in the vicinity of Howland.
The island was then bombed by the Japanese during World War II. When the war ended, all attempts to settle Howland were unsuccessful. The main problem was the lack of fresh sources. It also failed to make the island attractive to tourists. Local attractions include the ruins of Itascatown, aircraft wreckage, and the Amelia Earhart Lighthouse. Then they decided to recognize Howland as uninhabited and make nature reserve.
Baker Island
The island has also been opened three times by three different captains. It received its name in honor of the third captain - Michael Baker. Unlike his predecessors, Captain Baker decided to officially make the island his own. Until now, the grave of one of the sailors of his ship has remained on the island.
In 1855, the island was bought by a guano mining company. Then the same story is repeated with Baker Island as with Howland: after British claims to it, in 1935 America colonizes the land and sends its volunteers who give birth to a settlement called Myerton. By the beginning of the Second World War is being built runway strip, but it, along with the settlement itself, is gradually falling into disrepair. And so, in 1974, Baker becomes National Reserve wildlife.
A couple of years ago in Saudi Arabia Officially banned from celebrating the New Year. But this state is far from the only one where the traditional for us meeting of the new year goes completely unnoticed. It turns out that the New Year on January 1 is not celebrated in many countries.
On New Year's Eve, the inhabitants of our latitudes drink champagne, launch colorful fireworks and eat Russian salad. It would seem that the whole world at this moment is celebrating the onset of the new year. But this is by no means the case. Somewhere thousands of kilometers away, an ordinary Indian or Iranian snores calmly on New Year's Eve - in the morning he will start an ordinary working day.
The religious police of Saudi Arabia, Al Mutawa, warned citizens and foreigners living in the Kingdom of a ban on celebrating the New Year. A special unit of law enforcement agencies, announcing the inadmissibility of the celebration, is guided by a fatwa (religious injunction in Islam) issued by the supreme committee of Saudi ulema (Islamic preachers), since Muslims follow the lunar calendar.
Police officers contact shops that sell flowers and gifts so that they do not sell a number of goods that can be purchased on the occasion of this holiday. Al Mutawa closely monitors the implementation of norms in a purely conservative Saudi Arabia. However, cases of excess of authority by this department were often recorded, which, in particular, led to human casualties.
The Islamic New Year is celebrated on the vernal equinox, March 21, which almost always corresponds to the first day of the holy month of Muharram. The chronology is from the Hijra (July 16, 622 AD) - the date of the migration of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Muslims from Mecca to Medina.
In Israel, January 1 is also a regular working day, unless, of course, the first day of the new year happens on 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 two days, and many traditions, rituals and ceremonies are associated with its celebration in Israel.
As a rule, the traditions of celebrating the New Year in the sense in which it is understood in Europe and in North America, supported by the Russian diaspora living in Israel. And then everyone gets out as best they can. People try to take a day off from work and traditionally celebrate the holiday with family and friends. Someone gathers at home, and someone goes to a Russian restaurant.
Some Israelis believe that the celebrants are celebrating the day of the Catholic Saint Sylvester, which falls on December 31st. Therefore, the country often calls the New Year "Sylvester".
January 1 is not a holiday at all in Iran either. The country lives according to its own calendar. For example, it is now 1395 in Iran. The Iranian calendar, or Solar Hijra, is an astronomical solar calendar that was developed with the participation of Omar Khayyam and has since been refined several times.
New Year in Iran is celebrated according to the calendar on the first day of spring, which corresponds to March 22 of the Gregorian calendar. The New Year's holiday in Iran is called Novruz (or Noruz), and the first spring month is called Favardin.
By the way, Novruz is celebrated not only in Iran, but also in many countries where the ancient Persians managed to pretty much inherit. For example, the year in Afghanistan begins with Novruz. Along with January 1, Nowruz is celebrated in Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Albania and Macedonia.
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.
In addition, there are several other options for celebrating the arrival of the New Year in the Indian subcontinent.
March 22 marks the beginning of the new year national calendar India. In Maharashtra it is celebrated under the name Gudi Padwa and in Andhra Pradesh it is called Ugadi. 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.
New Year in China (where it is now called Yuan-dan) passes quite unnoticed. Only in large department stores and shopping malls, paying tribute to Western traditions, they put up shiny artificial Christmas trees and puppet Santa Clauses here and there, and the Chinese send electronic New Year cards to their Western friends. And even then it is done for Christmas, and not for the New Year.
"Yuan-dan" is the first, initial day of the new year ("yuan" means "beginning", "tribute" - "dawn" or simply "day"). Until the 20th century, the New Year in China was counted according to the lunar calendar, and not at all according to the calendar we are used to, and Yuan-dan was celebrated on the first day of the first lunar month.
On September 27, 1949, the government of the newly established Chinese People's Republic decided to name the first day lunar calendar"Spring Festival" (Chun Jie), and the first of January according to the Western calendar - "Yuan-dan". Since that time, January 1 has become official public holiday China. But even today, the Chinese still do not celebrate this day, not perceiving it as a holiday, marking the change of years. The "Western" New Year is not a competitor to the Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival.
Where they meet the first 2014 New Year, the symbol of which is the Blue Wooden Horse
The world is beautiful in all its diversity, because the people of the Earth receive the energy of life from the boundless Universe. Each New Year brings hope, love and happiness to the inhabitants of the planet. On January 31, the New Year 2014 will come - the Year of the Horse, (According to the Chinese horoscope, the Horse is a symbol of wisdom and intelligence). It ends February 18, 2015. The blue wooden Horse will become a talisman protecting the peace of the inhabitants of the Earth. People will reflect on the truth and the meaning of being, and do everything to achieve perfection.
Productive imagination will be needed by all who will strive to implement their ideas and interests. The more interested seek to know surrounding the world, the more amazing facts they will know. Thin threads of traditions and customs connect us with a past life, make us think.
Think of it as one seemingly simple question: Where is the New Year celebrated first?” can become a subject of discussion for many inquisitive people. Those who study foreign languages and able to read the primary sources, they learn that on December 24, 1777, before Christmas, the navigator James Cook landed with a team on the island of Kiritimati. Then the sailors did not know what they had discovered coral atoll large sizes. During that harsh time, team member Dr. E. Christofens counted 24 plant species and 36 bird species. Since then, the number of birds has changed, Villages have appeared on the island.
French priest Emmanuel Rougier took the island on a long-term lease. And by his example he showed how to protect nature. He planted 800,000 coconut trees on the island. In 1979 Island state Kiribati gained independence. This little reference is given with the aim: to help find the answer to the question posed in the article. Indeed, studies of Oceania have shown that here, in Kiribati, the New Year begins its journey.
Everyone who wants to celebrate the New Year in the world first can be in the country of Kiribati, i.e. repeat the route of James Cook and his team. You can also show up in Nukuapofa, the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga, Nukuapofa, and wish the people a Happy New Year using all the languages you already know.
With a difference of two hours, Anadyr and Kamchatka, the Fiji Islands will celebrate. It would seem that all the "i" have been dotted, but experts do not calm down and continue to ask the question: "Where do they celebrate the New Year first?"
Amazing, original the Chukchi people celebrate the New Year before all earthlings. They claim that the long night of December 21-22 is the birth of the New Year. On this night, the star Altair appears in the sky in the constellation Orel, which is worshiped by the Chukchi.
In honor of this star, the holiday is named Pagytti. The Chukchi do not think about harmful and bad things that night. The Chukchi meet the birth of the new year only with good thoughts and wishes. They are convinced that then the coming year will bring good luck, prosperity and joy. Their faith in the wisdom of the mind of the universe merges with the general celebration of the New Year. Traditions, customs, myths and legends of peoples enrich the holiday. They make every meeting of the New Year unique.
