The World Welcomed The New Year 2026

• 1.01.2026, 10:40

It takes 26 hours for the entire planet to enter the New Year.

It takes a full 26 hours for our entire planet to enter the year 2026, starting from Kiritimati at 10 a.m. GMT on Wednesday and ending on neighboring Baker Island at 12 noon GMT on Thursday, reports WBC.

The first island to welcome the new year is Kiritimati, part of the Pacific nation of Kiribati, located south of Hawaii and northeast of Australia. It consists of several atolls - ring-shaped coral reefs - and stretches nearly 4,000 kilometers from east to west.

Kiribati gained independence from Britain in 1979. The population of the archipelago is about 116,000. Despite being almost directly south of Hawaii, Kiribati celebrates New Year's Eve a full day early.

New Zealand and several islands in the Pacific, including Tonga and Samoa, have already welcomed 2026.

Britain's New Year's Eve was a frosty night, with cold weather expected in many parts of the country. Nevertheless, thousands of people gathered in central London to watch the traditional New Year's Eve fireworks display in honor of the year 2026.

Tens of thousands of people gathered to watch the fireworks display at Edinburgh Castle in the Scottish capital. Last year's fireworks were canceled due to bad weather, but this year Edinburgh held both fireworks and great fun in the streets to celebrate the year 2026.

In Barcelona, the New Year's Eve show was held on Mount Montjuïc and consisted of four parts inspired by the four elements: air, water, earth and fire. The centerpieces were pyrotechnics, drones and music.

New Year's traditions

Fireworks are hardly the most popular New Year's tradition. From Sydney harbor to Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, grand shows are held around the world at midnight.

The Danes bang plates on the doorsteps of friends' houses, believed to bring good luck for the next 12 months.

In the United States, New Yorkers count down to the ball drop in Times Square - a shiny ball descends the flagpole and reaches the lowest point when the clock strikes midnight.

Residents of Vincennes, Indiana, throw watermelons to the ground.

In Spain, it is customary to eat a grape with each strike of the clock at midnight, 12 grapes in a row - hoping for 12 happy months in the coming year.

Bell ringing is another tradition for parts of Japan and South Korea. In Japan, bells are rung 108 times, making the beginning of the year very noisy.

Lentils symbolize good luck in the new year for people in Brazil, so many of them eat them in large quantities as part of their celebrations.