Best photos of December 31: End of year celebrations and rituals from around the world

The National picks the most striking images from around the world

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  Visitors bathe in incense smoke as part of a ritual to cleanse themselves before heading to the main hall of Sensoji Buddhist temple on New Year's Eve in Tokyo, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo / Hiro Komae)

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  The New Year's Eve ball is lit during a test on top of One Times Square in New York. EPA

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  People gather at the Sydney Harbour House for the New Year's Eve fireworks display. Getty Images

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  A person displays a bag with local citrus fruit at a market in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. EPA

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  An 'Ano Viejo' effigy, representing Honduran President Xiomara Castro, in the village of Germania, south of Tegucigalpa. EPA

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  Pyrotechnic technicians make the final preparations for a fireworks display on a pontoon on the River Maas in Rotterdam. AFP

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  Ethnic Karen men climb a greased pole during the Karen New Year's celebration in Yangon, Myanmar. EPA

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  Two men dressed as Brodacze (bearded men) in Slawatycze, Podlasie region in eastern Poland. AFP

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  A Nepalese indigenous person from the Gurung community performs during the 'Tamu Lhosar' new year fair in Kathmandu, Nepal. EPA

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  A serpent-shaped light installation in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu province, marks the coming Lunar New Year of the Snake, which falls on January 29. AFP

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  Miao people attend a New Year celebration during the Lu Sheng festival in Congjiang county, Guizhou. AFP