The start of a new year has been celebrated by civilizations around the globe for thousands of years. In most countries today, New Year's festivities begin on December 31, but some celebrate it at other times. And, even where the date is the same, the customs often differ.
Chinese New Year, the Islamic New Year, Tamil New Year (Puthandu), and the Jewish New Year are among well-known examples. India, Nepal, and other countries also celebrate New Year on dates according to their own calendars that are movable in the Gregorian calendar.
The Line Islands (part of Kiribati), Samoa and Tonga, in the Pacific Ocean, are the first places to welcome the New Year, while American Samoa, Baker Island and Howland Island (part of the United States Minor Outlying Islands) are among the last.
Tonga, Kiribati and Samoa- tiny Pacific island nations- are the first to ring in a new Calendar year as here, January 1 starts at 10 am GMT or 3:30 pm as per Indian Standard Timing on December 31.
Geographically what are the last places to enter the new year? Howland and Baker Islands, which are territories of the United States, will be the last places on Earth to celebrate the New Year (5.30 pm Sunday IST).
Which country welcomes 2023 last? The uninhabited islands of Howland and Baker Islands will be the last places to welcome 2023. The island, near the United States, welcomes the New Year at 12 pm GMT (5:30 pm IST on January 1). So, the West still celebrates New Year while it is already evening in India.
Dar Al Iftaa stated in a previous fatwa that greetings for the New Year's, and manifestations of celebration like hanging decorations, is permissible, and not prohibited in Islam, because it includes social, religious and patriotic purposes.
Unlike China and many other countries in Asia, Japan as a society broadly doesn't celebrate the Lunar New Year—although that wasn't always the case.
Countries in which Christmas is not a formal public holiday include Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China (excepting Hong Kong and Macau), the Comoros, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, the Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, the Sahrawi ...
New Year's Day is on January 1 and is the first day of a new year in the Gregorian calendar, which is used in Australia and many other countries. Due to its geographical position close to the International Date Line, Australia is one of the first countries in the world to welcome the New Year.
It is also referred to as the "latest time zone" on Earth, as clocks in it always show the 'latest' (i.e., most advanced) time of all time zones. UTC+14:00 stretches as far as 30° east of the 180° longitude line and creates a large fold in the International Date Line around the Pacific nation of Kiribati.
Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year, annual 15-day festival in China and Chinese communities around the world that begins with the new moon that occurs sometime between January 21 and February 20 according to Western calendars. Festivities last until the following full moon.
Chinese New Year typically lasts around 15 or 16 days because it begins with the new moon that falls sometime between the end of January and the end of February, and ends on the following full moon. The arrival of the full moon is traditionally marked with a Festival of Lanterns.
Ethiopia's calendar takes its inspiration from the idea that Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden for seven years before they were expelled for their sins. After they repented, God promised to save them after 5,500 years. And, that explains why Ethiopians are seven years behind us.
The Japanese New Year (正月, Shōgatsu) is an annual festival that takes place in Japan. Since 1873, the official Japanese New Year has been celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, on January 1 of each year, New Year's Day (元日, Ganjitsu).
New Year (正月, shōgatsu) is the most important holiday in Japan. Most businesses shut down from January 1 to January 3, and families typically gather to spend the days together. Years are traditionally viewed as completely separate, with each new year providing a fresh start.
Lunar No Longer
In 1873, as part of the Meiji Restoration, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar to bring the country in line with the West. At that time, the prevailing attitude among many Japanese elites was that Asian practices were inferior to Western ones, and would hold Japan back unless they were abandoned.
Generally, there is nothing wrong with wishing someone good health and well-being every year and that God bless them all the time. However, some Muslims might view that others are exaggerating with their New Year festivities.
The Islamic New Year is observed as a public holiday in the majority of Islamic countries. The customs and traditions are different in various sects of the Islamic religion but generally involve religious recitals and religious acts of worship.
People in Egypt celebrate new year with fireworks, parties and family gatherings. Most Egyptian families bring in the New Year without champagne and make their resolutions on burnt pieces of paper, which is followed by the absorption of the ashes in alcohol.
By 2025, the United States would still be the most powerful country of the world, but it would have a little over 18% of the global power. The US would be closely followed by China (nearly 16%), European Union (14%) and India (10%).
The newest nation in the world as of early 2022 is South Sudan, which split from Sudan in 2011. However, the Pacific island of Bougainville voted in 2021 to separate from Papua New Guinea by 2027, and several additional territories and unrecognized countries are well on their way to achieving independence themselves.
There are 195 countries in the world today. This total comprises 193 countries that are member states of the United Nations and 2 countries that are non-member observer states: the Holy See and the State of Palestine.