At the turn of 2021/2022, thousands of people are partying in New York's Times Square

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The world is entering a new year, and at the party in Times Square, the audience is once again allowed to gather, but the COVID-19 pandemic remains the dominant topic.

The turn of 2021/2022 will also be shrouded by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many major parties and fireworks around the world cancelled, including celebrations in Paris and London. In the French capital, for example, toasting with sparkling wine on the magnificent Champs Elysées is prohibited. Even so, there was a large crowd gathered there.

In Madrid, around 7,000 people crammed into Puerta del Sol to welcome the New Year. At twelve o'clock in the tower of Madrid's City Hall, they each swallowed a grape and thought of the blessings of the New Year. In Dubai, the world's tallest building, the 828-metre-high Burj Khalifa, is once again sparkling spectacular fireworks.

A German student was seriously injured in a knife fight outside a club in Tel Aviv, Israel, and police arrested three suspects.

New York's Times Square once again allows parties

Despite the record number of covid-19 infections, New York's Times Square is once again celebrating 2022. At midnight, a shiny crystal ball traditionally slides down the flagpole, heralding the new year amid thousands of cheers – the so-called "falling ball". Events held this year in Manhattan's world-famous plaza were limited to about a quarter of normal capacity, while last year only a handful of invited guests were allowed to attend, and everyone present had to be fully vaccinated.

This year's New York New Year's Eve tradition is also not lacking: it rains with confetti, and the song "New York, New York" echoes in the streets. Usually around 1 million people flock to Times Square each year, and this party is one of the largest New Year's Eve celebrations in the world. Millions of Americans watch the big show on TV every year — and this year, singer KT Tunstall appeared.

This momentous event began in 1904 with the opening of a new publishing house for The New York Times, which celebrated it with Chinese New Year's Eve fireworks displays. The celebration took place under the impression of an Omicron variant of the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Recently, the number of infections in U.S. East Coast metropolises has skyrocketed, and the number of hospital admissions has increased.

Moscow celebrates that temperatures are below zero

With multiple fireworks displays, millions of people in Moscow, Europe's largest city, celebrate the New Year in sub-zero temperatures. Thousands of people gathered on Red Square alone, and the Kremlin's clock struck 12 times, ringing by 2022. The Russian capital traditionally organizes fireworks displays in several places, and the best fireworks can be seen from the skyscraper district of the city of Moscow or Sparrow Hill.

Due to the corona pandemic, there are no major restrictions on New Year's celebrations. In his New Year's address, Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled many COVID-19 deaths and encouraged the people. Corona has eased slightly, with only a few cases of Omicron reported to date.

In Moscow, for example, the 2G rule applies to the world-famous Bolshoi Theatre. There and other theaters in the capital, the ballet "The Nutcracker" is staged on New Year's Eve. Shows usually sell out months in advance.

There are no fireworks in China

The new year has already begun in several countries. Following Samoa and the kiribati island states, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and, most recently, China are also ushering in 2022.

With the highest number of infections over 21 months, several major Chinese cities canceled fireworks displays and major celebrations, including Beijing, Nanjing and Wuhan, which were the first cities to detect coronavirus and Covid-19 in late 2019. Xi'an, the capital of the northwest, is now completely cordoned off, with 13 million residents barely able to leave their homes. Although the most recent number of infections in international comparisons was 166 per day, the Chinese government is pursuing a strict zero-Covid policy.

In Hong Kong, people use their mobile phones to film fireworks

For Chinese, Chinese New Year's Eve itself is not a particularly important holiday. According to their traditional lunar calendar, the New Year doesn't start until February, when a large number of tourists flock to the country to visit their families and loved ones.

Australia let it tear

The situation in Australia is much more encouraging. In front of the Harbour Bridge and the magnificent backdrop of the Opera House, six tons of colourful fireworks begin 2022 in Sydney. Unlike last year, this time, despite the sharp rise in the number of coronaviruses in the region, tens of thousands of spectators were still on site to watch the New Year celebrations. However, all participants must purchase tickets for one of about 30 viewpoints. Citizens who have not made an appointment or are vaccinated are asked not to come to the city center as much as possible.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the world-famous fireworks display in Australia's metropolis attracted more than a million people each year. Last year, however, due to the corona pandemic, the center of the city was completely closed to spectators. There were also doubts this year about whether public access should be allowed: New South Wales, where Sydney is located, is currently severely infected with the Omikron variant. On Friday, authorities reported more than 21,000 new infections in one day, more than ever before.

Fireworks and the power of nature

A number of other countries have also started the new year. Around the world, residents of South Sea Paradise Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati are the first to usher in 2022 at 11 a.m. CET. Unlike last year, public fireworks displays were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic and Samoa was once again allowed to launch rockets into the sky.

In the Tonga Archipelago, the forces of nature also don't rest on New Year's Eve: authorities have been warning not to approach the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano since Christmas. The volcano first erupted in 2014 and is now back in motion, spewing ash and gases into the air.

Due to their remoteness, Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati have so far weathered the COVID-19 crisis with ease: only six cases of COVID-19 infection have been recorded in the three island states in total. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the borders of the Polynesian islands have been largely closed to foreigners.

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New Zealand followed, but due to the spread of covid-19, most of the events and fireworks at the Sky Tower in Auckland and all public events in other cities such as Christchurch and the capital Wellington were cancelled. Only the three-day "Rhythm and Alps" festival near Wanaka on the South Island is allowed.

From 11 a.m. CET on December 31 to 1 p.m. CET on January 1, it takes 26 hours for people around the globe to slide into the New Year.