New Year

In Ghana, December 31 is known simply as “31st Night” — and it belongs to the church. Across the country, from Accra’s mega-auditoriums to village chapels in the Ashanti Region,

In Nigeria, the new year does not begin with fireworks — it begins with prayer. On December 31, tens of millions of Nigerians head to church for “crossover night”: all-night

South Africa celebrates the new year in summer. While the northern hemisphere shivers through its countdowns, South Africans mark December 31 in shorts and sandals — with beach days that

Beirut was once called the Paris of the Middle East, and on New Year’s Eve, the old nickname feels true again. Even through years of economic crisis and conflict, Lebanon’s

On December 31, while much of the world counts down, Israel throws one of its biggest parties of the year — under a name that puzzles outsiders. Israelis call New

In Turkey, New Year’s Eve is called Yılbaşı — literally “year head” — and it is one of the most beloved family holidays in the country. The celebration is warm,

In the Philippines, New Year’s Eve is not just a party — it is one of the two great family feasts of the year, rivaled only by Christmas. As midnight

On the final night of December, India holds two celebrations at once. On the beaches of Goa, tens of thousands of young Indians dance under fireworks as international DJs play

Europe does New Year’s Eve fireworks better than anywhere else on earth — not just for the pyrotechnics, but for the settings: baroque palaces, medieval old towns, great rivers, and

Imagine counting down to midnight with the floodlit Parthenon glowing above you, fireworks bursting over a 2,500-year-old citadel, and the whole of Athens spread out below in a sea of

Venice on New Year’s Eve is the most romantic countdown in Europe — and one of the most unusual. There are no cars, no sprawling boulevards, no single stadium show.

At midnight on December 31, in the heart of one of the world’s most futuristic cities, a 600-year-old bronze bell rings out 33 times. The Bosingak bell-ringing ceremony — a