Global wave of spectacular New Year pyrotechnics ushers in 2013

SYDNEY, Australia (UPDATED) – World cities from Sydney to Dubai rang in the New Year with a spectacular global wave of firework displays.

Sydney kicked off the celebrations on a balmy summer’s night with a US$6.9 million display curated by pop icon Kylie Minogue.

Asian capitals joined in the revelry including long-isolated Yangon which enjoyed its own pyrotechnics for the first time.

As the stroke of midnight moved westward through time zones, the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, was the centerpiece of festivities in the huge expatriate and tourist hub.

Explosions of color engulfed the 828-meter (2,716-foot) tower, lighting up the skyline to the strains of a live performance by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

Earlier, in Sydney, the celebrations began in spectacular style as the sky erupted at midnight to the roar of crowds and fireworks shot up from barges and jet skis in the harbor and cascaded from the Harbour Bridge.

“This is really putting Australia on the map in terms of welcoming people to the New Year,” Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

Three hours later in Hong Kong, the iconic skyline lit up with an eight-minute display, as an estimated 100,000 partygoers flocked to the Victoria Harbour waterfront.

“I love the atmosphere here at New Year, but this is just the beginning of the night. We’re off to do karaoke now,” said Katie Chan, 26, among the crowds packed onto an open air walkway.

Europe, Africa next

In Myanmar, an estimated 50,000 people flocked to Yangon’s revered golden Shwedagon Pagoda for the city’s first public New Year countdown and fireworks display, seen as further evidence of opening up after decades of junta rule.

“I came here to have fun and leave disappointment behind,” said 27-year-old reveler Sithu.

Meanwhile, in Russia, President Vladimir Putin used a traditional New Year’s address to call for unity following a year of protests against his return to the Kremlin for a third term.

In Rome, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated New Year’s Eve vespers in St Peter’s Basilica, voicing solidarity with the poor and calling on believers to pause to reflect from time to time despite busy lives.

“We have to know how to stop and think. This way our soul can find healing for the inevitable wounds of everyday life,” he said.

In Spain, revelers who gathered in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square ahead of midnight — cowed by cold, rain and recession — sought to numb the pain of economic crisis with a glass of wine and plenty of cheer.

Manuela Ibanez, 51, who came from Barcelona with her two daughters, said: “At times like this we forget the crisis.”

Revellers in New York will celebrate the stroke of midnight with the traditional New Year’s Eve ball drop over Times Square, where South Korean pop sensation Psy will join a host of American music stars.

In Rio de Janeiro, officials have promised a bumper 16-minute, 24-tonn display opposite Copacabana Beach while in Germany, fireworks will cap a party at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate with the Pet Shop Boys, Bonnie Tyler and Blue.

In Paris, however, the authorities issued a reminder that all fireworks are officially banned for the night. The crowds that gather on the Champs-Elysees and around the Eiffel Tower will have to make do without any display.

And in Caracas, the mayor cancelled the city’s traditional end-of-year concert in Bolivar Square, instead asking Venezuelans to pray at home for ailing President Hugo Chavez, who suffered a new setback after cancer surgery.

Food, shelter priority in Mindanao

In regions devastated by Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) which hit the southern Philippines in early December killing at least 1,067 people, many survivors said food, work and permanent shelter topped their priorities for the New Year.

In the capital Manila, authorities had been bracing for the annual rush of injuries as families celebrated with do-it-yourself firework displays and shot celebratory bullets into the air.

Seoul ushered in 2013 with a ritual ringing of the city’s 15th-century bronze bell 33 times, reflecting the ancient practice of marking a new year.

Millions visited temples and shrines in Japan for “ninen-mairi” two-year prayers, gathering at family homes to feast on soba noodles and watch the New Year variety show “Kohaku Uta Gassen” or the Red and White Song Contest.

Fireworks also went up in cities across China. And In Taiwan, hundreds of thousands defied chilly winds to pack the square in front of the Taipei City Hall for a concert featuring Taiwanese pop diva A-Mei and Hong Kong-based singer and actor Aaron Kwok.

But in India, a country rocked by the deadly gang-rape of a young medical student, the armed forces cancelled New Year celebrations while many hotels and bars scaled back parties out of respect for the unnamed victim.

The New Year, celebrated with glamour across the world, passes unnoticed in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia where only the two Muslim feasts — Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha are celebrated.

And in Tunisia a preacher from the hardline Salafist movement that has achieved growing prominence in Tunisia since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings told Tunisians that the exchange of New Year’s greetings was un-Islamic. – Rappler.com