Hundreds of thousands of revellers have rung in 2009 from a freezing Times Square in New York, signalling the end of a historic and troubled year that saw the election of the first black US president and the worst economic crisis in decades.
As the clock struck midnight, a ton of confetti rained down while the partygoers hugged and kissed.
Former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton, who will become President-elect Barack Obama’s secretary of state later this month, helped Mayor Michael Bloomberg with the countdown.
Six luxury cruise liners floated off Rio’s famed Copacabana beach as fireworks erupted over heads of about two million Brazilian revellers.
Sydney, Australia, was the world’s first major city to ring in 2009, with 5.5 tons of fireworks set off at the city’s harbour bridge.
In Ireland, thousands of Dubliners and tourists gathered outside the capital’s oldest medieval cathedral, Christ Church, to hear the traditional New Year’s Eve bell-ringing.
In Malaysia, the government — mindful of the shaky economy — chose not to sponsor any celebration at all. In Hong Kong, thousands thronged around Victoria Harbour for a midnight fireworks display.
The new year also brought tragedy, as rescue workers in Thailand said at least 59 New Year’s revellers died in a fire that swept through a popular nightclub in Bangkok, with about another 130 injured.
In the splendour of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI called for “soberness and solidarity” in 2009. During a year’s end vespers service Wednesday evening, the pope said these times are “marked by uncertainty and worry for the future” but urged people not to be afraid and to help each other.
In India, many people were happy to see the end of 2008 after a series of terrorist attacks in several cities, culminating in the three-day siege in Mumbai that killed 164 people.
In Athens, police said arsonists attacked at least 10 banks and two car dealerships amid the celebrations. Cities in Greece had riots recently over the fatal shooting of a teenage boy by police.
Celebrations were muted in China, where fireworks and feasting are reserved mainly for the Lunar New Year, which in 2009 begins on January 26.
At midnight in Japan, temples rang their bells 108 times — representing the 108 evils being struck out — as worshippers threw coins as offerings and prayed. In Tokyo, volunteers stirred huge pots of New Year’s rice-cake soup and doled out blankets and clothing to the needy. Japan has long boasted a system of lifetime employment at major companies, but that unravelled last year amid the financial crisis.
Courtesy: thedailystar.net
