New Year celebrations around the world - in pictures

The first major fireworks went off in New Zealand as the dawn of the new year spread west

Fireworks explode over the Marina Bay for the New Year celebrations in Singapore. Reuters

The midnight fireworks light up the Sydney Opera House during New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images

Fireworks illuminate the sky over the Jeongdongjin beach in Gangneung, Ganwon-province, South Korea. EPA

New Year's Eve fireworks explode over the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in Sydney. AFP

Indian girls, with their faces painted with slogans to welcome the new year and Indian flags, pose for photographs as they celebrate in Amritsar, India. EPA

Shinto priests walk to attend a ritual to usher in the upcoming New Year at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters

A woman prays in front of a wall of lanterns to celebrate the New Year at the Jogyesa Buddhist temple in Seoul, South Korea. AP Photo

Fireworks are seen exploding from the Sky Tower with the Auckland Harbour Bridge in the foreground during the Auckland New Year's Eve celebrations in New Zealand. Getty Images

Schoolchildren hold balloons as they pose during celebrations to welcome the New Year at their school in Ahmedabad, India. Reuters

Fireworks explode over downtown Beirut, Lebanon, during New Year's celebrations on January 1, 2019. AFP

Fireworks illuminate the sky over the Arc de Triomphe during New Year's 2019 celebrations at the Champs Elysees in Paris, France, 01 January 2019. EPA

Iraqi people attend the celebrations for new year's eve in Mosul on December 31, 2018. AFP

Fireworks burst above the Baghdad Tower in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on January 1, 2019 as Iraqis welcome the New Year when the tower was also opened again after its closure in 2003 during entry of US forces to Baghdad. AFP

Worshippers pray as they take turns lying in coffins at the Takien temple in suburban Bangkok, Thailand. Worshippers believe that the coffin ceremony – symbolising death and rebirth – helps them rid themselves of bad luck and are born again for a fresh start in the new year. AP Photo

The numbers '2019' are written in the air with a sparkler near a tourist camp outside Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Reuters

Revellers watch as a fireworks display marks the arrival of the new year following a countdown event on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on January 1, 2019. AFP

Fireworks explode over the iconic London Eye marking the beginning of the New Year in central London. EPA

A woman watches fireworks explode over the iconic London Eye, marking the beginning of the New Year, in central London, Britain, 01 January 2019. More than 100,000 spectators were expected to watch Europe's largest display, which including eight tones of fireworks connected to 5,000 firing circuits. EPA

People take selfies during the last sunset of the year in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. AP Photo

People watch fireworks during New Year celebration in downtown St.Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. AP Photo

Fireworks explode over the Victoria Harbor during New Year's Eve to celebrate the start of year 2019 in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. AP Photo

Fireworks explode over Copacabana Beach during the New Year's celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. AP Photo

Buddhists light candles during New Year celebrations at Jogyesa Buddhist temple on January 1, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea. Getty Images

People attend a ceremony to celebrate the new year in Seoul, South Korea, January 1, 2019. Reuters

People watch fireworks explode during New Year's celebrations in Belgrade, Serbia. EPA

Fireworks illuminate the night sky over the Petronas Towers landmark during New Year's Day celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. EPA

This picture shows the last sunset of 2018 behind a church in the West Bank town of Hebron, on December 31, 2018. AFP

Thai people pray to celebrate the New Year 2019 at the Golden Mountain temple or Wat Saket in Bangkok, Thailand, December 31, 2018. Reuters

A man wears glasses shaped as the year 2019 as he attends a new year countdown event at Shibuya crossing in Tokyo, Japan, December 31, 2018. Reuters

People enjoy the fireworks during the new year celebration on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 1, 2019. AFP

New Year's Eve is rung in with a torch-light ski down and fireworks during a holiday celebration in Vail, Colorado. AP

Watching the fireworks? Tweet us your New Year’s Eve pictures and videos @TheNationalUAE & #UAENewYear

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