A young woman writes ‘2017’ using a sparkler during the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Nyiregyhaza, 245 kms east of Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016. AP
Revelers around the world have been welcoming 2017 with crackling fireworks displays and loud cheering, saying goodbye to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts and the deaths of several beloved performers.
The people of Sydney were treated to a glittering display over their famed harbor and bridge that honored the singer David Bowie and actor Gene Wilder, who both passed away in 2016.
The tone was more somber elsewhere, though, including Berlin, where some expressed worry about the political mood in Germany. It was also relatively quiet in China’s two largest cities, Beijing and Shanghai.
In New York City, meanwhile, people packed into Times Square hours before midnight to secure coveted spots to watch the annual ball drop. CBB
Pope Francis prays in front of the nativity scene after celebrating a new year’s eve vespers Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016. AP
Fireworks explode over the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge as New Year’s celebrations are underway in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. AP
The 2017 appears during a firework over the Arc de Triomphe as part of the New Year celebrations on the Champs Elysees, in Paris, France, Sunday, Jan.1, 2017. AP
Baby Shammah Jane Bolon sleeps in her mother Mary Rose’s arms in the recovery room of the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital after being born at exactly 12 midnight to become the first baby born on New Year Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, in Manila, Philippines. AP
Fireworks light the sky above the Quadriga at the Brandenburg Gate shortly after midnight in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Hundred thousands of people celebrated New Year’s Eve welcoming the new year 2017 in Germany’s capital. AP
Fireworks explode over Victoria Harbor to celebrate the New Year’s Eve in Hong Kong, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. AP
An Indian man lights firecrackers on the street during the New Year celebration in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. AP
A clown performs during a New Year’s celebration for internally displaced children at the Hassan Sham camp, east of Mosul, Iraq, Saturday, Dec 31, 2016. AP
People release balloons into the air to celebrate New Year, during a New Year celebration event at a Tokyo Hotel, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. AP
Fireworks explode in front of Malaysia’s landmark building, Petronas Twin Towers, during the New Year’s Eve celebration in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. AP
Revelers gather on Times Square in New York Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, as they take part in a New Year’s Eve celebration. AP
North Koreans gather to watch a New Year’s fireworks display at the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. AP
Fireworks explode above Singapore’s financial district at the stroke of midnight to mark the New Year’s celebrations on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, in Singapore. AP